The suspended Chairman of Oredo Local Government Council, Dr. Tom Obaseki, and his Vice Chairman, Patricia Ero, were on Friday impeached by eight out of twelve councillors of the council, The Nation is reporting.
Obaseki, Ero, and the councillors were elected on September 2, 2023, for a three-year tenure, which has now been abruptly cut short, similar to developments in many of Edo State’s 17 other local government councils.
The crisis began on December 17, 2024, when the Edo State House of Assembly suspended all chairmen and vice chairmen of the state’s 18 local government councils for two months.
The Assembly, comprising members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party (LP), also directed legislative leaders in the councils to assume administrative responsibilities.
The suspensions followed a petition dated November 16, 2024, from Governor Senator Monday Okpebholo, accusing the council chairmen of insubordination and gross misconduct.
The petition titled “Insubordination and Gross Misconduct by the 18 Local Government Chairmen Over Their Refusal to Submit Financial Records for Scrutiny” urged the lawmakers to take decisive action.
Governor Okpebholo, who was inaugurated on November 12, 2024, has emphasized transparency and accountability in local government operations, leading to intensified scrutiny of financial records across the councils.
Details shortly…
