Edo Governor, Monday Okpebholo, on Friday, justified the suspension of the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state by the state House of Assembly, saying that the suspension was in accordance with his oversight function rights as the governor.
Governor Okpebholo’s stance as stated by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Fred Itua, is coming following the setting aside of the suspension by an Edo High Court presided over by Justice Efe Ikponwonba.
The governor acknowledged that the suspension of local government chairmen in Edo State has sparked an intense debate.
He, however, added that “a closer examination of the Constitution and the Federal Attorney General’s comments, reveal that the decisions by the Edo State House of Assembly, vis-a-vis, the Governor of the State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, are entirely justified.
“From a legal perspective, the Governor’s request to the House of Assembly to suspend the chairmen was done within his constitutional powers. The House of Assembly had the right to turn down the request but opted to act on it. It is therefore unfair to blame the Governor.
“If the Governor had the powers to suspend the council chairmen unilaterally, he would not have resorted to drafting a letter to the House of Assembly.
“The concept of autonomy is often misunderstood, and in this case, it does not mean that council chairmen can not be oversight. The House of Assembly has the power to oversight the activities of the Governor, and similarly, the Governor has the right to exercise oversight over local government chairmen. The ongoing EFCC investigation of the 18 local government chairmen underscores the importance of accountability in governance.
The governor emphasised that the LGA chairmen were merely suspended and not removed.
“Again, for the records, the chairmen were not removed from office but suspended due to suspicious activities, and the Governor has the right to exercise the power of oversight,” the statement read.
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