As the political tension in Edo State heightens ahead of the September 19 gubernatorial election, Don-Pedro Obaseki, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, of abusing the law.
Obaseki, while speaking on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, said that Malami’s response to the crisis rocking the State Assembly has revealed the Attorney-General is the most-partisan one.
He said:
I will state clearly that Mr Malami has shown himself as a law officer, as a most-partisan one who decides to speak depending on what part of the (political) party divide he is on. What he has done is a flagrant abuse of the law.
Obaseki also said that the newly sworn-in members of the assembly committed a treasonable offense by “forging a mace” used during their inauguration.
According to him, the original mace is with the Speaker of the House, Francis Okiye, who has been impeached by the newly sworn-in 17 APC Lawmakers in Edo backed by Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami.
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Obaseki, following this development, called for the arrest of the 17 members of the House for allegedly forging a mace.
He said:
They have gone to forge a mace. When you forge a mace, you are forcefully taking over a part of the government.
That is treasonable. The original mace still lies with the Speaker, Mr Okiye. The Department of State Service should go and arrest them. They are a threat to the state.
Fresh facts recently emerged on how Malami directed the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to provide security for the inauguration of the 14 members-elect and three other members of the Edo State House of Assembly last on Thursday.
In the letter, with reference number HAGF/IGP/2020/Vol1/4, dated August 5, 2020, the AGF also requested the IG to provide security for the subsequent sittings of the Edo State House of Assembly.
The letter, titled ‘Re: Urgent and nationalistic appeal to intervene in the restoration of constitutional democracy in Edo State of Nigeria,’ written to the IG, the AGF said he acted on the letter written by Messrs West Idahosa & Co., requesting his intervention.