Court stops National Assembly from taking over Edo Assembly

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the National Assembly to halt plans to take over the running of the Edo State House of Assembly.

The Edo Assembly was inaugurated under a cloud of controversy as only nine of its 24 members, all belonging to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), were sworn in at night on June 17, 2019.

The rift in the Assembly was as a result of a feud between current state governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, who's also the APC's national chairman. The circumstances are believed to be an attempt to prevent Oshiomhole from installing his loyalists into leadership positions.

Since the inauguration, many have called on Obaseki to issue a new proclamation for a proper inauguration that'll include everyone.

Governor Godwin Obaseki has refused to issue a new proclamation for a fresh inauguration of the Edo House of Assembly [ThisDayLive] Pulse Nigeria

The governor's refusal led the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives to issue separate threats to take over the legislative functions of the Edo Assembly if Obaseki doesn't issue a new proclamation.

However, in a ruling delivered on Wednesday, August 7, Justice Taiwo Taiwo ordered all parties to maintain status quo until a substantive hearing is decided.

The suit was filed by the Edo State government which has insisted that the original proclamation was lawful. The government insists the constitution only allows the governor to issue a proclamation once.

The Edo government described the resolutions of both chambers of the National Assembly as an unconstitutional interference.