BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

The leadership of the Edo State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Uyi Igbe, has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intimidate the opposition, asserting that any attempt to use federal might against the APC in the state will be resisted.

Speaker Igbe, Majority Leader, Philip Shaibu and the Chief whip of the House, Folly Ogedengbe, declared this when they arrived Benin Airport Friday from Abuja, after they were granted bail by the EFCC.

The lawmakers’ arrival to Benin City was like a triumphant entry as thousands of APC supporters and members of the Edo State Executive Council, throng the Benin Airport to welcome them.

Shaibu, who spoke to journalists charged that, “we cannot be intimidated by EFCC, we cannot be intimidated even by the President or the PDP. The Presidency is using the EFCC to intimidate perceived opponents. As far as I am concerned, Nigeria remains one, Nigeria will grow from strength to strength and nobody can derail the destiny of this country. And we are ready to fight intellectually. We will not arm our youths but the power of the tongue we shall use to defeat them.

On his part, Speaker Igbe narrated that “last week we were invited by the EFCC and they claimed that they were doing some investigations and that we will be able to contribute to it. So we went there on Tuesday, on Wednesday we went to the EFCC office. And I was of the impression that the EFCC means Financial Crimes Commission, and therefore I was under the impression that they were going to investigate financial misappropriations only for us to get there and issues that concerns the House of Assembly was what they brought up.

“What they were telling us was that somebody alleged that we forged the signature amongst the signatures that we used to impeach the former Deputy Speaker Festus Ebea. And therefore that was the reason they invited us. I was taken completely aback. But then again I was not too surprised because we all know that this is the systematic way that they use to harass and intimidate us.