There are speculations that the Enugu State government is allegedly plotting to secretly inaugurate the 8th Assembly in the state without the majority members-elect of the Labour Party (LP), OsunDaily News had learnt.
It was gathered that the Clerk of Enugu State House of Assembly, Emma Udaya has been involved in secret meetings with the state governor, Peter Mbah over moves on how to install the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who has the minority members-elect at the leadership of the House.
According to Daily Sun, an unconfirmed source revealed 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.”
This platform understands that while the PDP has 10 members-elect, the Labour Party has 14, which is the majority in the house.
The source disclosed that the clerk in his bid to push for a PDP leadership in the House suggested that a proclamation be made and the date announced but without a specific time.
“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.
“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,” the source claimed.
However, in his reaction, the Enugu clerk, Udaya has debunked the report saying it’s a foolish rumour.
According to him, Governor Mbah is yet to send a proclamation and his office would be holding an orientation for the members-elect in Enugu from Thursday, so he doesn’t know of any arrangement for a secret inauguration.
He submitted that “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. 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 who issues the date and time.
“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.”
