By DADA AYOKHAI
There was an unusual excitement at the inauguration ceremony of the 8th Edo State House of Assembly as members of the public trooped to the Assembly foyer to behold the spectacle of the rituals associated with the event
Interestingly, the crowd of spectators, in their hundreds, comprising the youths and adults, stormed the Assembly complex, to have a first hand experience of the oath taking by the members-elect and other related events.
It was the first inauguration under the watch of Gov. Obaseki and the majority of those who stormed the Assembly complex were there to watch the events unfold, hoping there would not be a repeat of the 2019 episode.
: Once it became obvious there will not be a repeat of the episode that happened four years ago, signposted by the semblance of normalcy and orderliness in which the proceedings were conducted, the joy in the crowd surged.
Sooner than later, the event took a different dimension and became a sort of reunion party for both the new and returning members
Most observers believe the recent inauguration is a clear departure from the 2019 exercise thereby debunking earlier claims by the Clerk of the House in which he said the previous inauguration exercise was conducted in complete obedience to the house rules
This time around, a letter was transmitted by the governor to the Clerk for the formal inauguration of the 8th Assembly and was thereafter publicized in selected national dailies, unlike as was the case four years ago
Similarly, invitation cards were printed and circulated to the members and their guests.
The successful ending of the inauguration of the 8th Assembly has inadvertently lifted the veil of the lack of integrity on both the state government and the Assembly
