BENIN – The Impeachment of the Leader of the Legislative Arm of the Uhunmwonde Local Government Council, Edo State, Hon. Benjamin Osa Iredia, on Thursday led to a
violent clash at Ehor, the Administrative headquarters of the Council Area, leaving many injured with several properties destroyed.
The clash which resulted in sporadic shooting and destruction of valuables in the council area was a foiled attempt to install an acting chairman from the legislative Arm.
Benjamin Osa Iredia’s impeachment which allegedly sparked the violence was occasioned by the attempt to install him as the new acting Council Chairman, an action being carried out from local government to local government in the state which is being contested by the elected chairmen.
The Chairman of the Council, Hon. Kenneth Adodo, while reacting to the incident accused the Impeached House Leader, Benjamin Osa Iredia, of masterminding the attack which he said was aided by the power that be in an attempt to forcefully remove him as the elected chairman of the council.
The chairman also accused former Education Commissioner, Hon. Washington Osifo, of involvement in the assault that left some staff of the local government injured.
But Washington Osifo in distancing
himself from the crisis insisted that the chairman has been impeached by the legislative Arm of the council over financial misappropriation.
It was reported that during the Incident, a shooting spree occurred in Ehor, the Uhunmwonde council’s administrative center, leaving Multiple staff members injured, and are now receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
Reports also had it that during the clash, property worth millions of naira were destroyed while some were stolen by the gun wielding hoodlums.
While condemning what he described as “brazen attack” on the council, the Chairman, Kenneth Adodo urged the authorities to investigate the incident so as to bring the culprit to book.
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But defending his innocence, one of the accused, Hon Washington Osifo said he should be left out of the issue as he couldn’t be part of an impeachment process of a party he does not belong to.
Osifo expressed disappointment over the Chairman who he claimed was his personal aid when he served as a commissioner for Education, as he is reportedly impeached over alleged financial misappropriation, urging him to be focused in defending the petition allegations with the anti graft commission, EFCC against him.
Recall that, Governor Monday Okpebholo on December 17, 2024, requested the disollusion of the 18 Council’s Chairmen where he cited
insubordination and gross misconduct, requesting the House of Assembly to look into the matter.
In a plenary, the Edo State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, passed a resolution suspending chairmen and vice chairmen of the 18 local government councils for two months, a development that met wide condemnation.
The Supreme Court Judgment earlier in the Attorney General of Federation V. Attorney General of Abia State & 35 Ors 2024, LPELR-62576, SC, wherein it emphatically obliterated the powers of the 36 state Governors/Houses of Assembly or acting through their privies to dissolve, or interfere with the local government administration or management, using state powers derivable from laws enacted by the State Houses of Assembly or Executive Orders.
This was again corroborated by a Suit No. B/25/0S/2U24: delivered by the Hon. Chief Judge of Edo State.
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday January 1, 2025, in Lagos, told state governors, who paid him a visit, that his decision to implement local government autonomy was borne out of a need to bring development closer to the grassroots, not necessarily to rid them of their administrative powers.
Despite a reminder by president Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Chairman of Orhionmwon Local Government Council/ ALGON, Hon. Newman Ugiagbe, who addressed journalists sometime in Benin City on behalf of the local government council chairmen, of a notice served in connection with the judgement, all fell in deaf ears failing to progress the position of the law that empowers them as the duly elected Council Chairmen, they have been harassed with the outright intentions to force them out of office.
The suspension has now escalated to everyday Impeachments across the 18 local council as the state Governor and other authorities look away and unperturbed, standing firm with such purported suspension by the Edo State House Of Assembly.
