?Asks Tinubu to intervene to save democracy

The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday alleged plans by Governor Monday Okpebholo to remove the state local government council chairmen and their deputies.

Addressing a press conference in Benin City, Dr Anthony Aziegbemi, the state Caretaker Committee Chairman, PDP accused Okpebholo of instituting a regime of lawlessness and utter disregard for the rule of law. The PDP described what obtains in the state presently 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.?

Expressing concern and worry, the party said: ?We are deeply worried that if urgent and decisive action is not taken to address this lawlessness and restore order within the system, we may witness an escalation that could result in crisis, anarchy, and chaos and which presents a clear and imminent danger of a breakdown of law and order in Edo State.

?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.

?We are alarmed that despite the clear and binding judgment from the Chief Judge of Edo 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,? the party stated.

It further reiterated that, ?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."

PDP said it is worried that after the council chairmen had approached the court for redress on the matter and Justice Efe Ikponmwonba of the Edo State High Court 2, Benin City issued a mandatory injunction, restraining the state government, the Governor and other parties from meddling in local government affairs and operations until the substantive case has been heard and settled, the government "in total disregard of and disobedience to the prevailing orders and laws, has continued in its acts of crass lawlessness , contemptuous disregard of judicial orders, abuse of processes and misuse of executive power, which dangerously portends the extermination of constitutional democracy in the State. We are aware that the Governor seeks to enforce and has indeed commenced his devious and illegal agenda with the help of vile and violent thugs and other non-state actors."

The PDP further alleged that there have been "several reports of intimidation, bribery, harassment, manipulation, and blackmail by the state government to coerce council leaders into endorsing the illegal actions that would allow for the looting of council funds.

"We are aware that Okpebholo is sponsoring illegal meetings across various local councils in a desperate bid to impeach the substantive chairmen of the State?s 18 local government areas.

"The meetings we have uncovered are to be supervised by the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, Damian Lawani, with the leaders of the Legislative Arm of Local Governments, who have been empowered as Acting Chairmen of the Council, their ?loyal? Councillors, and the Heads of Local Government Administrations.

"The Chief of Staff to the Governor is also actively involved in these unlawful acts. He has been threatening and harassing councilors across the State, trying to force them to cut ties with the substantive elected local government chairmen, with the warning that their loyalty should be to the governor and nobody else. Clearly these state actors have scant knowledge of the principles of democracy under our laws ( which really comes as no surprise considering the intellectual and knowledge deficit in this government). The loyalty of elected officials are to the citizens who elected them and not any other elected official," the party stated.

Edo PDP also alleged that "We have also witnessed unauthorized attempts to alter signatories to Local Government Accounts as well as clandestine efforts to withdraw funds from Local Government Accounts without a proper mandate.

"There are also reports of illegal requests for sensitive council documents by unauthorized persons. This flagrant disregard for our judiciary and the subversion of the Constitution of our country is a serious threat to our democracy and if this lawlessness is allowed to continue, it will not only undermine the rule of law but will also create a dangerous precedent, weakening our entire legal and democratic system. What we are witnessing, and we say this with all sense of responsibility, is an attempt to unlawfully and illegally remove or overthrow an elected tier of government in Edo state, a component and federating unit of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, contrary to Section 1(2) of the Constitution and judicial orders. In other words, an attempted coup d'etat in the state !

"We condemn, in the strongest terms, these attempts at exterminating our constitutional democracy and hereby call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation, our judiciary, the National Security Adviser , Inspector General of Police and all relevant security authorities to urgently intervene and restore order and the rule of law in Edo State, before events spiral out of control, which could lead to chaos and anarchy in the State and eventual breakdown of law and order."

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