By Abiola Olawale
The Edo State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Anthony Aziegbemi, has raised an alarm about an alleged plan to impeach local government chairpersons in the state.
Aziegbemi, in a press statement issued on Tuesday, claimed that there are some individuals in the Edo State government “sponsoring meetings across the LAGs in a desperate bid to impeach the substantive chairmen”.
Aziegbemi also accused Damian Lawani, chairman of the local government service commission, and Gani Audu, Okpebholo’s chief of staff, of allegedly orchestrating the move.
The statement reads in part: “He (Audu) has been threatening and harassing councillors 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.
“Furthermore, Okpebholo has directed that under no circumstances must any council chairman be granted access to his office in the Council, ordering the Council Administrators to work in conjunction with all relevant security Agencies and their party thugs to achieve this devious plan.
“The plan we are aware of is to lure or force the councillors to impeach the substantive chairmen (without recourse to the laid down process enshrined in our laws).
“There are also reports of illegal requests for sensitive council documents by unauthorized persons,” he said.
“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.”
This comes after the Edo State House of Assembly, on December 17, suspended all 18 chairpersons and their deputies over allegations of misappropriation of funds.
Blessing Agbebaku, speaker of the house, had said Monday Okpebholo, the state governor, filed a petition to the assembly over the refusal of the LGA heads to submit the financial records of their councils.
However, a high court in Edo state ordered the reinstatement of the suspended chairpersons and their deputies.
Similarly, the Attorney General of the Federation and minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, had warned that the action of the Edo state government is illegal and completely unconstitutional.
He called for an immediate and clear restoration of the status quo in all the 18 councils in Edo state.
