He stressed that only the court of law could declare Nwazunku’s impeachment illegal.
The intervention, however, failed to resolve the crisis, as the two factions refused to shift grounds.
Observers, nonetheless, insist that even though factionalism and conflict are inevitable in politics, key democratic institutions like the legislature ought to be able to resolve their differences.
They moan that if lawmakers cannot resolve their differences, they will be hamstrung in making laws that will guarantee good governance and harmonious relationships in their states.
Islamic clerics in Edo, under the aegis of League of Imams, have appealed to the lawmakers to place public interest above personal interest in efforts to tackle the crisis.
The clerics made the appeal when they recently visited Gov. Adams Oshiomhole at the Government House in Benin.
Led by their Chairman and Chief Imam of Benin, Malam Abdulfattah Enabulele, the Muslim clerics decried the development.
“The battle in the Edo State House of Assembly is about some few individuals who want to hijack the apparatus of government by any means,’’ Enabulele said.
He recalled that when the struggle started, he spoke against it, saying: “As religious leaders, we must not shy away from speaking the truth, as we are going to stand before our creator to give account of our stewardship.”
Mr Maxwel Opara, an Abuja-based lawyer, described the “one house, two speakers’’ stalemate in Edo and Ebonyi as an unfortunate situation.
“In the states, the Houses of Assembly are being controlled by the governors; hence they have become rubberstamp parliaments.
“The governors instigate such divisions when a speaker refuses to consent to their illegal moves.
“It speaks bad of our democracy because the parliament, which is meant to perform oversight functions and checkmate the executive, often falls prey to the divide and rule tactics of the governors,’’ he noted.
Commenting on the crisis in Ebonyi House of Essembly, Gov. Martins Elechi said that after listening to the arguments of two sides, he and the PDP leadership decided that the impeachment was uncalled for.
“We interviewed both sides and they barred their minds and spoke frankly.
“On our own part, we believed that the issues that led to the alleged impeachment of the speaker were not good enough to justify any attempt of impeachment.
“We are also convinced that the allegations which the members had against him were improper and unacceptable.
“Having considered all these and in the interest of justice, peace and fair play to prevail, we hereby affirm that Right Honourable Chukwuma Nwazunku was never impeached as being alleged.
“So, he remains the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly and we shall continue to work with him,’’ Elechi said.
Prof Aloysius Okolie of Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), who commented on developments in the two houses of assembly, described the crises as leadership problems.
He, however, said that it was unfortunate that minority factions were allowed access to the House chambers, instead of the majority factions.
“Democracy is a game of numbers; the faction with the majority of legislators ought to be given access to the legislative chamber.
“I hope Edo and Ebonyi are aware that the whole world is watching the unhealthy developments in their states,’’ he said.
Okolie said that the happenings in the two states had shown that in Nigeria, the executive arm of government viewed itself as the custodian of the country’s democracy.
“It’s unfortunate that democracy is seen from the eyes of the executive, thereby making elected executive political office holders small gods.
“We should remember that democracy goes with majority and power belongs to the people and not the executive,” he said.
The university don urged the country’s leaders to be mindful of their actions and utterances, adding that through their behaviour, they would be judged by generations yet unborn.
“Elected leaders should strive to leave good legacies, rather than bad ones,’’ he added.
Okolie, nonetheless, expressed the hope that the happenings in Edo and Ebonyi would not truncate democracy in the states.
“Politicians should remember that leadership is a test of morality as well as patriotism to one’s fatherland,’’ he said
All in all, observers describe the happenings in Ebonyi and Edo as a mixed grill.