There are indications that some elected local government chairmen might have on Thursday defied the order of the Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole by handing over the affairs of the administration of their various councils to the head of local government administration (HOLGA).
BusinessDay reports that the council chairmen however bowed to the directive of the Edo State House of Assembly, who had last Monday in a unanimous resolutions, ordered them to vacate their various offices on or before yesterday.
The three-year tenure of the elected local government council chairmen constitutionally ended April 21, having been sworn in April 21, 2013 after being declared winners of the April 20, 2013 election.
Following the lawmakers’ resolutions, Governor Oshiomhole in a strongly worded letter dated April 20, 2016, to the speaker of the state House of Assembly, Victor Edoror, described the action of the legislators as usurpation of executive functions, inappropriate and unacceptable.
Deliberating on the governor’s letter, the House at a plenary session on Wednesday, opined that its resolution on the expiration of the tenure of local government chairmen remained sacrosanct that cannot be altered by the executive arm of government.
The House said it derived its power from the relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, as well as that of the Edo State Local Government laws as amended in 2000.
Investigations as at press time reveal that some council chairmen have complied with the state House of Assembly directive, thereby defying the stand of the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole.
Some of the chairmen that have handed over to the HOLGA of their various local councils are Owan West, Oredo, Etsako East, Ovia North-East and Uhunmwode.
It was gathered that some council chairmen have decided to hand over secretly to the HOLGA, while others will hand over before the end of the day.
A legislator in Uhunmwode Local Government Area said they handed over in spite of persistent calls from different quarters not to hand over, adding that they were being owed several months of salaries by the council authorities.
