The 18 suspended local government chairmen in Edo State have declared that they can’t be removed from office by the state house of assembly.
The LG chairmen, under the aegis of the Edo State chapter of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON, kicked against their suspension on Wednesday at a press briefing in Benin City.
The Edo State House of Assembly had on Tuesday suspended the council chairmen for two months, while acting on a petition by the state Governor, Monday Okpebholo against the council bosses.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Orhionmwon Local Government Area, Newman Ugiagbe stated that their purported suspension by the legislative chamber on Tuesday, December 17, 20204, was a violation of court orders.
Ugiagbe, who is also the Edo State chairman of ALGON, maintained that the tenure of the council chairmen who were sworn in on September 4, 2023, would only come to an end in 2025.
The Edo ALGON chairman claimed that the Edo State High Court had in suits filed against the state government and the House of Assembly ordered the defendants not to dissolve the democratically elected council executives on or before the expiration of their tenure.
The state ALGON chairman averred that the association on December 17, 2024, served a reminder on the Speaker of the House, to inform him of another suit instituted against governor Okpebholo.
He said in the suit, the state High Court 2, granted the chairmen an interim order restraining the defendants from interfering with and disturbing the claimants of exercise of their constitutional rights over all assets and funds allocated to them from the Federation Account.
Ugiagbe called on security agencies, and other institutions of government saddled with the responsibility of enforcing law and order to protect all assets and buildings of the local government councils.
He also requested the deployment of security personnel to all 18 Local government secretariats, to create an enabling environment for the smooth discharge of the functions for which they were sworn in.
