The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, ‘I leave Edo Assembly crisis to Benin ancestors’

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, has said he has left the crisis in the Edo State House of Assembly in the hands of God and the ancestors for resolution.

The monarch stated this, yesterday, when the Senate ad hoc committee, investigating the assembly crisis, paid him a courtesy call in his palace.

Oba Ewuare II said the palace had intervened in the crisis in its own way.

“We live it in the hands of God and the ancestors for now. We pray God and our ancestors to help us,” he said.

“We have intervened; the House of Representative was here last week and you are here now to help us resolve the issue. I pray that God and the ancestors should give you the wisdom to resolve the crisis and bring peace and unity,” he added.

On his part, Governor Godwin Obaseki, while meeting with the committee, said he had fulfilled his constitutional requirement by issuing a proclamation letter for the inauguration of the assembly.

“The constitution is clear on issues at the assembly. I have issued a proclamation letter and I have fulfilled my constitutional responsibility. I believe in the separation of powers.

“There were issues and we expected that those in higher authority should have stepped in to ensure that they are resolved but now the matter is in court,” he said.

“It is a very sad situation as we never anticipated this will happen. We are happy your committee is here on a fact-finding mission. If this has been done by the leadership of my party, we will not have gotten where we are today,” he added.

Earlier, the deputy chairman of the committee, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said they were on a fact-finding mission to get first-hand information on the crisis in the state assembly.