Okpebholo Exterminating Constitutional Democracy in Edo, PDP Cries Out

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, has raised the alarm over what it described as ongoing extermination of constitutional democracy, lawlessness, and blatant disregard for the rule of law by the Edo State Government under the leadership of Monday Okpebholo.

The State Chairman of the party, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, made the call on Tuesday at a press conference to update the general public on the wave of impeachment blowing across the 18 Local Government Councils in the State.

He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Judiciary, the Inspector-General of Police and other relevant stakeholders to help restore the rule of law before events spiral out of control.

Aziegbemi noted that if urgent and decisive action was not taken to address what he described as lawlessness and restore order within the system, the State may witness an escalation that could result in crisis, anarchy, and chaos.

He said: “As you are aware, recent events have brought to light the unlawful suspension of the duly elected Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of the 18 Local Government Councils in Edo State purportedly by the State House of Assembly, following the directive of the Governor-select Monday Okpebholo.

“The illegal suspension, carried out on December 17, 2024, was executed under the false pretense of ‘gross misconduct and insubordination’, without fair hearing and under the misplaced and mistaken belief that the Chairmen and their Vice Chairmen are subordinate to the Governor, who premised his directive on Section 10(1) of the Local Government Law of Edo State which has since been voided by the judgment of the Chief Judge of Edo State .

“It should be noted that no complaint was made against the Vice Chairmen and the House of Assembly still proceeded to suspend them and this they claimed to do under Section 20 of the same law, which did not give the Assembly any power to suspend any Local Government Official!”

The Edo PDP Chairman stated that despite the clear and binding judgment from the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, who upheld that the Edo State Government and the Edo State House of Assembly have no legal right to suspend or dissolve elected local government councils, the State Government and their agents proceeded to enforce their individual interests and capriciously and illegally and in breach of court injunctions in purportedly suspending the Council Chairmen.

“This they did without regard to the constitutional, legal, social, security, political and economic implications and consequences,” he noted.

He stated further: “The State Chief Judge, abiding by the principles of stare decisis, had cited the recent judgment delivered by the Supreme Court in July, 2024, in a suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, (an APC chieftain) affirming that the dissolution or suspension of elected local government council members by any state government, House of Assembly, or its agents is unconstitutional, illegal, and null and void.

“The State Government also disregarded the advice of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu given through the Attorney General of the Federation on this matter. The Attorney General of the Federation was emphatic and insisted that elected local government council chairmen and their vice cannot be dissolved, removed or suspended without following the due process of law, through the Councillors.

“However, Okpebholo and his handlers jettisoned the advisory, deploying thugs and non-state actors who have been moving from council to council with whips and dangerous weapons to illegally enforce the illegal suspension of the Local Government Chairmen despite the prevailing legal position on this issue and in utter breach of express court orders.

“Most troubling however was that the Council Chairmen had approached the court for redress on the matter and Justice