The crisis in Edo State local governments took a different dimension yesterday.
Several persons were reportedly injured, as gunmen allegedly invaded Uhunmwode Local Government headquarters in Egor.
The Chairman of the council, Kenneth Adodo, alleged that the people involved in the shooting were policemen from Edo State Government House.
This followed reports of impeachment of the chairmen of Uhunmwode and Orhionmwon local governments by the elected councillors.
Their Owan East counterpart; Prince Aminu Okodo-Kadiri, reacted swiftly to his own impeachment. He maintained that his purported impeachment and that of his deputy, Clement Ojebuovbo, was unconstitutional and illegal.
The councillors in Orhionmwon on Wednesday impeached the Leader of the house, Daniel Osariemen and replaced him with Chuks Isan, claiming that Osariemen was being mobilised to impeach the Chairman, Newman Ugiagbe and his deputy, Midwest Ogbebor.
The purportedly suspended Leader, Osariemen, was alleged to have led unknown persons to take over the secretariat of the council, where he purportedly resumed as the acting chairman of the local government.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Orhionmwon Local Government Chairman, Roy Osariemen, said the action of Abudu was illegal and that Neeman Ugiagbe remained the chairman of the local government.
Addressing reporters in Benin City yesterday, the Chairman of Owan East Local Government, Okodo-Kadiri, said his purported impeachment processes were full of irregularities, which, according to him, went against the provisions of the law.
He referenced Edo State Local Government Law of 2000 (as amended in 2002), which outlined specific procedures for the removal of council executives.
Okodo stressed that the councillors failed to establish a seven-member investigative panel, noting that the mace used during the impeachment was not the official mace of Owan East Local Government.
“The governor alleged that council chairmen embezzled N50 million meant for salaries, but this claim lacks merit,” he said.
“Monthly salary expenditures far exceed N50million in most councils and salaries were paid promptly up to November, contrary to the governor’s claims.”
“If funds were misappropriated, where is the proof? Our bank records are clear, and no salaries are owed.
“More so, the purported impeachment revealed that two key councillors were involved in the process—Haruna Mohammed and another member from Ward Seven, who had been suspended for gross misconduct prior to the session.”
He argued that the participation of the suspended councillors in the process rendered the proceedings invalid and emphasised that his office was never notified of their reinstatement, as required by due process.
He expressed confidence in the courts to do the needful and reverse the illegal impeachment proceedings.
The latest incident comes about three weeks after the House of Assembly passed a resolution suspending all chairmen and vice chairmen of the 18 local governments for two months.
The house also mandated leaders of the legislative arms to take over leadership of their councils.
The suspension of the council’s chairmen and their deputies followed a motion moved by the member representing Esan North East 1, Isibor Adeh and seconded by the member representing Akoko-Edo 2, Donald Okogbe.
Governor Monday Okpebholo had written a petition to the House over the refusal of the chairmen to submit financial records of their local governments to the state government.
In the letter, the governor, who described their action as an act of insubordination and gross misconduct, requested the House to look into the matter.
When the matter came up for debate, 14 members voted in favour of the motion for their suspension, six opposed the motion, while three members did not participate in the voting.
House of Assembly Speaker Blessing Agbebaku had told the members that all of them must speak on the matter.
After they had all spoken, the Speaker directed the Clerk, Yahaya Omogbai, to do a head count of the members who supported or opposed the suspension of the council’s chairmen and their deputies.
