Edo LG crisis: PDP cautions Banks against altering signatures of suspended chairman.

Edo LG crisis: PDP cautions Banks against altering signatures of suspended chairman.

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The Edo state chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has issued a warning to two newly established banks, cautioning them against opening unauthorized bank accounts for the suspended local government chairman. The party claims this move is an attempt to access monthly allocations from the Federation Account illegally.

The caretaker committee chairman of the PDP in Edo state, Anthony Aziegbemi delivered this warning on Monday during a press conference in Benin city.

During the press conference titled ‘‘Ongoing Constitutional Crisis and Chaos in Edo state local government Areas” Azieghemi alleged that two commercial banks are colluding with the state government to alter the bank accounts and signatures of duly elected local government chairman.

”In the Supreme Court Judgement, it ordered that monies must be paid to the local government council that have democratically elected chairmen, and that the only bank accounts that have signatures of these democratically elected chairmen are those accounts monies from the Federation Account should be paid to.

“We are using this opportunity to sound a note of strong warning and call two new generations commercial banks in the country to be very careful in all what they are doing in opening illegal accounts without democratically elected Council’s chairmen being signatories to those accounts.They would be held accountable when we look at what they have done going forward.

“These two banks are in the forefront conniving with the State Government in opening illegal accounts without the democratically elected council chairmen as signatories to these accounts. They would be held responsible for whatever goes on at that level.

“Since the illegal suspension of the duly elected chairmen, over N30 billion has been sent to local government councils under the control of the state government which Okpebholo,” he said.

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Democratically elected local government chairman were suspended by the Edo state House of Assembly for two months on December 17, 2024 over allegations of insubordination to the state governor, Monday Okpebholo.

Aziegbemi argued that both the suspension and impeachment of the chairman and their deputies violated rulings from the Supreme Court and the Edo state High Court.

He further emphasized that these court rulings stipulate that only democratically elected local government chairmen have the right to access allocations from the Federation Accounts.

“Since this three month period, the Okpebholo government has unilaterally stopped salaries to the duly democratically elected chairmen, vice chairmen, Secretaries, supervisory councilors special advisers and special assistants.

“This is while there’s a nepotistic and selective payment of salaries to elected loyal councilors across the 18 local councils of the State

“There is no approval for interest and grants from legislators at EXCOs. Revenues collected are not accounted for and are being diverted. This is clear executive rascality and impunity taken too far,” he added.

He argued the House of Assembly to immediately reinstate the suspended Council chairmen to restore governance at the grassroots level and ensure smooth administration.