It is no longer news that the political tension in Edo state is on the increase. It is also not a secret that the Edo state house of Assembly is in a unique state of political “anyhowness”. A situation where minority holds sway and majority is sidelined because of selfishness and executive high-handedness on the part of the Governor of Edo state. The facts are clear: 14 members are denied inauguration, 4 others are surreptitiously pushed aside and only 6 members are allowed to do the bidding of the Governor. For months now, the embattled speaker and his cohorts had relocated legislative business to the Dennis Osadebey Government house under the pretence of renovation, in Edo, the speaker and five others now attend executive Council meetings while the Governor doubles as head of the executive and legislative arms of government. How does enemies of democracy expect stability and cohesion when over 70% of democratically elected members and their constituencies are denied voice in Edo? After three and half years of political “push and start”, the reality has dawned on the Okiye led House of Assembly, he is shaking, weary and crying fowl.The ‘Minority” Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Frank Okiye, has raised the alarm over a plot by the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma and stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, to import a fake mace to violently take over the Edo State House of Assembly. Okiye, who spoke after plenary on Wednesday, in Benin City, said the plot is to be executed in cahoots with the impeached Deputy Speaker, Hon. Yekini Idiaye.

According to him, “The dubious plan by the Governor of Imo State, Sen. Hope Uzodinma and stakeholders of the APC in Edo State to import a fake mace to take over the Edo State House of Assembly working in cahoots with the Deputy Speaker, who recently declared support for the candidate of the APC to congregate in a secret location to illegally and violently take over control of the Assembly has been brought to our notice.”

“The state’s polity is already heated by the high political tension from the electioneering campaigns. Their planned action is akin to lighting a match in an already tensed political environment, which conflagration is capable of causing crisis in the state, and of a scale beyond our imagination.”

“We urge lovers of democracy across the world, institutions that uphold democratic tenets and values, pro-democracy groups, to denounce this planned illegality that seeks to distract a duly constituted authority.”

“We recognise the constitutional right of the three members of the House of Assembly to support the candidate of their choice, but that should not distract them from coming to work to carry out the job they were elected for.

” We are, as always, committed to the protection of the democratic rights of our people as the legislature remains a sacred institution in the democratisation process,” he added.

The above ascertions are a combination of democratic realities and electoral misgivings between the puppets, master and co-conspirators who have woken up to the realities of time? Governor Uzodinma of Imo or anyone doesn’t need to fight for democracy, the forces of numbers as represented by the copious majority renders him an automatic minority leader in the house as presently constituted. At the end, Okiye looses and Democracy wins.