The Edo State House of Assembly (EDHA) has filed a lawsuit against the 18 Local Government Council Chairmen in the state, seeking clarification from the state high court on the interpretation of Section 20 of the Local Government Law, 2000, as amended.
The suit, marked B/34/2025, was filed at the Edo State High Court on January 28, 2025, through counsel C.O. Edosa of C.O. Edosa and Co. The claimants in the case include the state assembly, its Speaker Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, and councillors from the 18 local government areas of Edo State. The defendants in the case are the 18 local government chairmen, Governor Monday Okpebholo, and three other individuals.
The suit centers on four key issues and seeks nine reliefs. The assembly wants the court to determine whether it has the authority to suspend a chairman or vice-chairman of a local government council in Edo State, under the provisions of Section 20(b) of the Local Government Law, 2000.
Another central issue is whether the assembly, in suspending the chairmen and vice-chairmen, violated the law or disrupted the democratic structure of local government councils in the state. The claimants also seek clarification on whether the legislative arms of the councils, in the absence of the chairmen and vice-chairmen, can act on behalf of the council, particularly in managing affairs and controlling local government funds.
Furthermore, the claimants are asking the court to declare that the actions of the assembly have not undermined the democratic structure of local government councils, and that the system of governance remains intact. They also seek a ruling confirming that the Edo State House of Assembly has the power to suspend local government chairmen and vice-chairmen.
