Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has tackled governor Monday Okpebholo and his deputy, Dennis Idahosa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for failing to resign as members representing their various senatorial districts at the national assembly.
Monday Okpebholo, before becoming governor of the state, is the senator representing Edo Central Senatorial District while Hon. Dennis Idahosa is the member representing Ovia Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives.
The PDP, through it state’s chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi expressed his concerns while addressing Journalists at the party’s secretariat in Benin City.
He said their refusal to tender their resignation letters is breach of the Nigeria constitution and also a disservice to their various constituencies.
“Two weeks after their inauguration on November 12, the governor-select, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and his deputy, Dennis Idahosa, have failed to officially resign from their respective seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives, denying their constituencies of representation at the National Assembly in line with section 68(1)d of the 1999 Constitution as amended, “A member of the Senate or the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if he becomes President, Vice President, Governor, Deputy Governor or a Minister of the Government of the Federation or a Commissioner of the Government of a State or a Special Adviser”.
“How can they simultaneously hold the positions of Governor and Senator, as well as Deputy Governor and Member of the House of Representatives? It is only right and constitutional that they should resign their membership, allowing their seats to be declared vacant and paving the way for a by-election. But again, APC thrives on illegality and lawlessness, and has continued to thread on the infamous path, while making a mockery of their constituents”, Dr. Aziegbemi said.
Aziegbemi, while lamenting that the government has not been able to pay workers salaries despite the over N30 billion inherited from his predecessor, said before now, for eight years, the PDP led administration paid salaries on or before the 25th of every month.
Aziegbemi decried the barbaric and unprovoked attack on the party’s Secretariat where properties worth millions of naira were destroyed and others carted away including election documents by suspected thugs.
He also accused the ruling APC of sponsoring thugs who broke into the private residence of the immediate past Governor of the State, Godwin Obaseki in Gestapo style, assaulting and harassing security personnel at the premises.
He said this is most reprehensible and unacceptable and they urge relevant security agencies to thoroughly investigate these barbaric attacks and ensure that the perpetrators of this lawless and dastardly acts are brought to book.
He noted that the PDP government has done its best and successfully worked on over 340 schools from the many others across the three senatorial districts and that the ball is now in his court (governor Okpebholo)to do his part, just as the PDP government did.
He said he should stop complaining and focus on delivering results for the people, if he really has anything to offer the people.
He also went further to decry the composition of the SUBEB Board noting that it is in total disregard to the provisions of the SUBEB Act.
According to him “It confirmed our fears that APC and Okpebholo are only interested in the possibility of award and execution of contracts by SUBEB and not the formulation, regulation of education policy.