The chairmen of Esan North East and Akoko-Edo Local Government Areas in Edo State, Dr Kelly Ehidiamen Inedegbor and Hon. Tajudeen Alade, have rejected their impeachment, describing the process as illegal and lacking due process.
Both officials allege that the impeachment proceedings were politically motivated and failed to adhere to constitutional requirements.
In Uromi, headquarters of Esan North East, councillors unanimously agreed to impeach Dr Inedegbor and his vice chairman, Hon. Thomas Otiobhili, citing allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and failure to uphold their oaths of office. The decision was initiated through an impeachment notice submitted by Hon. Shedrack Onoghemenosen of Ward 11 and Hon. Samuel Udawele of Ward 2.
The legislative arm accused the officials of eroding public trust and using their positions for personal gain. Leader of the House, Hon. Paul Uhumesi, also announced the suspension of three councillors—Hon. Sunday Ebosele (Ward 3), Hon. Smart Eboigbe (Ward 5), and Hon. Kingsley Osehon (Ward 10)—for undisclosed reasons.
In Akoko-Edo, councillors convened at the legislative chambers in Igarra and announced the impeachment of Hon. Alade and his vice. They appointed Hon. Alabi Oshionogue, the former Leader of the House, as Acting Chairman. Hon. Tope Jacob from Ward 2 was subsequently named the new Leader of the House.
Acting Chairman Oshionogue declared that a committee would recover missing council assets, while all appointments made by Hon. Alade were dissolved. Former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kabiru Adjoto, who witnessed the proceedings, commended the peaceful conduct of the events.
Reacting to his removal, Hon. Alade claimed the impeachment was illegal and orchestrated by individuals seeking to exploit the council’s treasury. He said, “The purported act was carried out by a minority of councillors and it is illegal. Just a few days ago, these same people invaded the secretariat and carted away my personal belongings. Today, I was told they went to repeat the same thing. We are in a democracy, and there are laid-down rules for impeachment, but they did not follow any of these.”
Dr. Inedegbor echoed similar sentiments in a statement by his Press Secretary, Okonofua Osemobor, arguing that the councillors failed to comply with constitutional requirements. “By law, the constitution stipulates a 14-day notice. In this case, due to their ignorance of the law, they acted contrary.
“The council chairman was not given any form of fair hearing nor did he appear before any panel of inquiry set up by the councillors to clear any allegations levelled against him,” Osemobor stated.
He further alleged irregularities, claiming the impeachment occurred at 12:30 am when the council chambers were closed. “How they gained access to the chambers is part of our call on security agencies to investigate.
“Interaction with the councillors who carried out this travesty of the law revealed that three of their signatories were forged, while four admitted they were coerced by a political leader in the local government whose identity will not be revealed at the moment,” Osemobor added.
As controversy mounts over the impeachments, the affected chairmen have vowed to challenge their removal, maintaining that the process was neither transparent nor legal. The unfolding situation continues to draw attention to the political dynamics in Edo State’s local governance.
