The Edo State House of Assembly has filed a suit in the state high court, seeking to affirm the suspension of the 18 local council chairmen in the state.

The suit marked B/34/2025 and filed on January 28, 2025, requests a declaration that the Assembly has the legal authority to suspend the chairmen and vice chairmen under Section 20(b) of the Local Government Law, 2000, of Edo State.

This action follows the suspension of the local council chairmen and their deputies on December 17, 2024, for alleged insubordination to Governor Monday Okpebholo.

The governor had accused the chairmen of disregarding his directive to submit their councils’ statements of accounts. The chairmen and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have challenged the suspension, arguing that the governor does not have the power to demand such financial records due to the Supreme Court’s recent declaration of local council autonomy. In addition, the chairmen and their deputies had been impeached, and the matter is currently being contested in court.

However, yesterday, the Edo State Government debunked rumours that some local council workers in the state are owed salaries due to the purported crisis in the councils.

This is contained in a statement issued by Fred Itua, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo. Itua called on the general public to ignore the rumours and said that the governor remains committed to workers’ welfare in Edo State.

He clarified that no government workers in the state, including local council workers, are owed any salary, as all payments, including that of January 2025, had been paid.

“As a result of this commitment, the state government has continued to pay salaries of local council workers since assuming office.

“This remarkable feat is all the more impressive, considering the setbacks in allocation payments that the state has faced due to the ongoing legal crisis between the state and the embattled local council chairmen.

“Okpebholo’s pragmatic approach in ensuring that no Edo worker, irrespective of status, is made to pass through undue hardship, is a testament to his zeal for workers’ welfare,” he said.