By Francis Igata

ENUGU—Embattled speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Eugene Odo, was, yesterday, barred from entering the Assembly complex by the police.

This is even as the Federal High Court sitting in Enugu, yesterday, adjourned to May 26 on the suit which ordered the Nigerian Police to vacate the House of Assembly complex.

Odo told Vanguard that he was prevented entry into the legislative building at about 10.23 a.m. in the company of other members of the House.

He said:  “I was at the entrance gate in the morning with a few of my colleagues. The police prevented us from entry. Although they were polite, we left the place in order to avoid confrontation.”

The order subsists, pending the determination of a suit brought by Odo on behalf of 15 members of the House, who issued an impeachment notice against Governor Sullivan Chime on May 4.

The court, presided over by Justice D.V. Agishi, also restrained the police from curtailing the personal liberty of the speaker.

It ordered that policemen should not be seen around the House of Assembly complex except at points determined by the speaker.

It further ordered that the speaker and other 15 members of the House should be allowed to have access to the legislative complex, particularly the chambers.

The orders were made in an interim injunction granted in favour of the speaker who filed a suit before the court on behalf of 15 members of the House.

The respondents in the suit are the eight members of the House loyal to Governor Chime and the Nigerian Police.

But the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, DSP, said:  “We are not aware of any injunction.

‘’The issue is that police are there to prevent break-down of law and order. We’re not part of the legislature, neither are we the executive. Our business is to maintain law and order.”