All Progressives Congress (APC) chief in Edo State, Washington Osifo, yesterday, queried the way Governor Godwin Obaseki has run the affairs of councils, describing his appointment of “Caretaker Committees” as illegal.
Addressing a press conference in Benin City, Osifo alleged that the governor lacked the power to handpick and recommend persons not democratically elected for appointment as members of a local council transition committee. He argued that the governor and Edo State House of Assembly (EDHA) have no right to disobey the judgment of the Supreme Court that resolved the issue.
“Accordingly, in the light of the valid and subsisting judgments of the Supreme Court, which has resolved this issue and, more importantly, the judgment of the High Court referenced above, in which the governor and the Edo State House of Assembly were named parties, the governor has no right, whatsoever, to disobey these judgments by purporting to handpick, nominate or recommend the persons he purports as members of a caretaker committee or liaison officers in the 18 councils in the state.
“The governor’s move amounts to contempt.”
Recall that elected chairmen and councillors of the 18 councils in the state completed their tenure since 2020. However, the governor has not conducted an election to elect new officials for these councils.
