The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly condemned the suspension of all elected local government chairmen and vice-chairmen across the 18 councils by the Edo State House of Assembly.
The party described the action as unconstitutional and declared it null and void.
The suspension followed a petition submitted by Governor Monday Okpebholo, who had previously demanded that the local government chairmen submit statements of accounts. In response, Tony Aziegbemi, the caretaker chairman of Edo State PDP, criticized the move as an abuse of power. He called it a politically motivated attempt to silence the opposition and undermine local government autonomy, stating that it was both unconstitutional and destined to fail.
The PDP called on the judiciary to intervene and uphold the rule of law, urging civil society to resist what it called a “reckless assault on democratic institutions.” The party vowed to challenge the suspension in court and called for its immediate reversal.
Barr. Anthony Ehilebo, a PDP chieftain and Special Adviser on Media to Barr. Asue Ighodalo, also condemned the suspension. Speaking on a Lagos-based television program, Ehilebo accused the governor of overstepping his authority by demanding financial statements from the local government chairmen, an action he said lacked legal backing. He further stated that the suspension violated the recent Supreme Court ruling on local government financial autonomy, declaring the move illegal and politically motivated.
Ehilebo described the suspension as a “witch hunt,” pointing out that all affected chairmen were members of the PDP, and reiterated that the suspension would be disregarded as it was not grounded in law.
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