The Edo State House of Assembly has suspended the 18 Local government chairmen, and their vice chairmen based on a petition filed by governor Monday Okpebholo.
Governor Okpebholo, in a petition dated November 16, 2024, titled “Insubordination and Gross Misconduct by the 18 Local Government Chairmen Over Their Refusal to Submit Financial Records for Scrutiny,” accused the chairmen and their vice for misconducts.
Isibor Adeh moved the motion for the suspension of the LG bosses citing cited Section 20(b) of the Local Government Act, which empowers the House of Assembly to suspend any local government chairman for two months pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct.
The motion was supported by 14 lawmakers, and opposed by six, while three members abstained from voting.
Speaker of Edo Assembly, Chief Blessing Agbebaku, who directed the Clerk of the House, Yahaya Omogbai, to do a head count of the members, declared that insubordination and gross misconduct would not be allowed from the council chiefs.
Okpebholo had on December 3, 2024, given the LG chairmen 48 hours to submit statements of account of their respective councils to the Assets Verification Committee.
Okpebholo directed the council chairmen to submit the statements to the Assets Verification Committee, through the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, SSG.
He said the statement of accounts should be from September 4, 2023, till date. According to him, the statements would help and enable the Assets Verification Committee to do its job effectively and efficiently.
The 24-member Edo House of Assembly is dominated by members of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
