Edo Assembly declares seats of 14 members vacant

The Edo State House of Assembly has declared vacant the seats of the 12 members who have avoided the chamber since its inauguration on June 17,2019.

The leadership held that two others who did not meet the mandatory sitting requirement were also affected.

Addressing newsmen in Benin City, the Deputy Speaker, Yekini Idiaye, who represents Akoko Edo State Constituency I, said the resolution was reached at plenary yesterday.

He named the vacant seats to include Etsako West I; Etsako West II; Owan East; Owan West; Etsako Central; Etsako East and Esan Central.

Others are Uhunmwonde; Oredo East; Oredo West; Egor; Ovia North East I; Ovia North East II and Ovia South West I.

He clarified that the Oredo East and Owan East representatives were sworn in but failed to meet the mandatory 181-day sitting requirement in a calendar year to retain their membership.

For others, who hadn’t been inaugurated since the proclamation of the legislative chamber, Idiaye submitted: “Their constituents have been complaining and have come to us that they want their voices and concerns to be heard in the House.
So, people who are willing to provide quality representation have to be elected to bring the matters of the distraught constituents to the floor for debate and legislation where necessary.”

He noted that the Assembly also passed the 2020 Appropriation Bill and affirmed the removal of the suspended chairman of Etsako East Local Council, Aramiyau Momoh, after receiving the report of the investigation committee on alleged misappropriation of funds and undermining of the financial rules and regulations of public service.