Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice
Governor Monday Okpebholo’s nominee for Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Samson Osagie, was speedily cleared by the House of Assembly on Wednesday afternoon.
Governor Okpebholo announced Osagie’s nomination just hours after he took his oath of office at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, the state capital.
The governor summarily dispatched a letter to the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, requesting the House to confirm the nominee.
A report by the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, said the governor further requested the House to consider and pass the year 2024 supplementary budget to ensure the smooth running of the government.
Confirming the nominee, Agbebaku informed the House that Osagie, having served as a two-time member of the Assembly from 1999 to 2007, would not be subjected to a rigorous screening exercise.
The Speaker noted that Osagie, also a former House of Representatives member, should be allowed to take a bow and be confirmed, explaining that the bow-taking was in line with the tradition of the House, in recognition of the contributions of the former lawmaker at both the state and national levels.
The House, thereafter, in a voice vote, unanimously confirmed Samson Osagie as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
Meanwhile, Naija Daily News gathered that palpable fear has gripped the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state over possible ‘massive defection’ of its members to the ruling All Progressive Congress.
“We will not be surprised if that happens”, a PDP member and former associate of Godwin Obaseki, the immediate past governor told our reporter in a telephone chat on Wednesday.
Our source maintained that it was not unusual for Nigerian politicians to switch their loyalty to the party that best serves their interests.
One source told NDN that at least eight of all PDP 18 council chairmen have sent signals of their willingness to dump the party for the ruling APC.
NDN recalled that the PDP cleared all available seats in the election conducted in September 2023, but they could now face stringent control by the APC in the coming days.
“Indeed, some of them are already sending their loyalists to test the water,” a source said. “They want to secure their position in the council and they know that the current administration could make that significantly difficult for them.”
It was further gathered that LGA chairs in Okpebholo’s Edo Central could lead the exodus from PDP to the APC, as they would want to join forces with their kinsman to secure not only his position but theirs as well.
The situation is not much different in the 22-member Edo State Assembly, which is dominated by the PDP with 15 seats, while the APC and Labour Party have eight seats and one seat respectively.
“For the lawmakers, the decision would be inspired by a quest for survival, as the governor would be unencumbered during the next seasonal election circle when he would be firmly entrenched and could be in a position to decide who wins and who doesn’t in some areas,” another source added.
