By SIMON   EBEGBULEM

BENIN – Edo State House of Assembly, yesterday, ordered the former Speaker of the House, Mr. Zakawanu Garuba, former Majority Leader, Mr. Frank Okiye, to return official vehicles still in their possession within 24 hours or risk arrest.

However, the former principal officers which included the former Deputy Speaker, Mr. Levis Aigbogu, Mr. Samuel Saiki and Mr. Sunday Ereghan, alleged that they were being victimised by the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, led Assembly. They added that the order was shocking because they were being owed one year and three months salaries and allowances by the House.

Meanwhile, a chieftain of ACN in the state, Chief Musa Amedu, has disassociated himself from an advertorial in the media, entitled, Open Letter to Mr. President and National Chairman of the PDP.

The advertisers alleged that one Musa Amedu endorsed the letter as Publicity Secretary.

However, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Uyi Igbe, who ordered the former lawmakers to return the official vehicles in their possession during proceedings, yesterday, noted that the vehicles were official property of the Assembly, hence, it would be illegal for the former lawmakers to retain them even after they had left office.

‘I’ll consult my lawyers’

Reacting swiftly, the former Majority Leader, Mr. Okiye, said: “Going by the House operations, we were supposed to be given first choice of purchase but they did not. They gave out even newer cars to their ACN members and are telling us to return ours. It is just to victimise us. But I am going to consult with my other colleagues and my lawyers to decide on what to do.

“They had confiscated my personal car. They are still owning us salaries and severance packages. Even my personal belongings are still locked up in the Assembly.”