PDP, APC Edo lawmakers hold separate sittings

The crisis in the Edo state house of assembly has taken a new turn, as the lawmakers have been holding sittings at different venues.

The lawmakers who have been torn apart along party lines, resumed hostilities at the expiration of their five-week recess, holding sittings at two separate venues.

While the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction met at the complex of the house of assembly (pictured), which is presently in a deplorable state, their All Progressives Council (APC) counterparts used the government house for their plenary.

The PDP faction is being led by Festus Ebea, the impeached deputy speaker.

At its sitting on Wednesday, the state director of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) was summoned to appear before the house on September 15.

The director is expected to explain alleged misconduct of some officials of the Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA) on federal roads in the state.

Ebea said the house had passed a resolution calling on EDSTMA officials to stop further harassment of road users on federal trunk roads in the state.

“Though we have noticed a reduction in their activities on federal roads, some of them are still seen operating on the roads,” he said.

“We want the director to come and tell us how far they have gone in enforcing the resolution and the challenges they are facing in the state.”

However, the APC faction led by Uyi Igbe as speaker, called on the federal government to provide relief materials to victims of rainstorm in Fugar, Etsako central local government area of the state.

Moving the motion under matters of urgent public importance, Mr Jonhson Oghumah, representative of APC-Etsako Central, said the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had not provided relief materials to the victims affected by the disaster.

However, Igbe and other members said the state government had done a lot to cushion the effect of the disaster in the community.