There is tension in Enugu State over an alleged plot to clandestinely inaugurate the next state Assembly with the exclusion of the members-elect of the Labour Party, LP, who are in the majority.
The Clerk of Enugu State House of Assembly, Emma Udaya, denied the speculation, calling it a foolish rumour.
He said that although he did not send the proclamation for the inauguration of the assembly he was fully aware that secret inauguration was not on the card.
Udaya, who disclosed that Governor Peter Mbah was yet to send a proclamation, said that his office would be holding an orientation for the members-elect in Enugu from Thursday.
He said: “I should know if there’s anything like that, so, I’m telling you that it’s a very foolish opinion because it’s not the clerk that sends proclamation for the house. It comes from His Excellency the Governor, not the clerk.
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“It’s only that it’s the clerk that conducts the election on the day he’s informed that the house will be inaugurated, the venue and the time. This thing is done openly and not clandestinely. So, it’s not true that there will be a secret inauguration.
“A lot of people say what they don’t know about and they don’t care to clear facts. The clerk doesn’t issue the proclamation, he acts on the directive of the Executive
“For instance, if a state assembly is sworn in on the 20th of June, their tenure would end on the 19th of June next four years, and if it’s on the 10th, it ends on the 9th of the same month in four years. So, no states have the same day of swearing-in by law. If you have two or three states doing that same day, it’s mere coincidence,” Udaya stated.
On the allegation that the Sergeant-at-Arms of the assembly was carefully retired because of the grand plot to foist PDP leadership on the house, the clerk said that there was nothing like that.
In fact, he said that the Sergeant-at-Arms works under him, so, he should be aware if he had retired or was removed.
Speculation has been rife of perfected clandestine moves to secretly inaugurate the 8th House of Assembly in the State. This is in difference to the current constitutional amendment which states that for any state assembly to be successfully inaugurated, no less than two third of the members of the Assembly must be present.
A source alleged a meeting between Gov Mbah and the Clerk of the State House of Assembly.
The PDP, the governor’s party 10 members-elect as against 14 from Labour Party.
The imminent tussle would be who produces the leadership of the assembly.
It was alleged that the clerk had at the meeting assured the governor of the possibility of producing PDP leadership “without the Labour Party members-elect raising any objection.”
It was further learned that the clerk suggested that a proclamation be made and the date announced but without stipulating time.
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With this gap in time, our source said, “he plans to invite only the members-elect of the PDP at an odd time and get them inaugurated in the absence of members-elect of the Labour Party.”
The unconfirmed source claimed that the Clerk had addressed all the workers to ensure that they report to duty whenever they were invited to do so not minding the time of day.
“Further to this plot, the Clerk had allegedly relieved the Sergeant-at-Arms of his duty. The man popularly known as Dangerman was alleged to have been stopped from performing the duty forthwith on a flimsy reason that he is an “old man,” our source also alleged.
It was not clear whether the plot is to convoke the House even on a weekend and at odd hours for the clandestine inauguration.
