By Newsmata
The Chairman of Egor Local Government Council in Edo State, Eghe Ogbemudia, and the Vice Chairman, Frank Osawe, were on Friday impeached. The impeachment was not however without some drama as the leadership of the Legislative council also had to be suspended and a new one elected to carry out the exercise.
The suspended leadership included Bosede Omokaro (Leader), Iwinosa Enabulele (Majority Leader), and Amb. Elliot Inneh Enni (Chief Whip).
The new Kelvin Eguakun legislative leadership said Ogbemudia, daughter of former military and civilian governor of the state, late Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, and Osawe were impeached for alleged gross misconduct. They were accused of abuse of office, financial misappropriation, unlawful withholding of statutory allowances of a principal member and three other Council members, as well as budget padding.
Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party-dominated legislature had accused the suspended leadership of failing to provide effective oversight, and of neglecting its responsibilities.
Newsmata reports that the motion for their suspension was passed by five members of the council, with one member absent. Subsequently, the new leadership, with Kelvin Eguakun as Leader, acted swiftly upon receiving a signed petition from four Council members calling for the removal of the local government chairman and vice chairman.
The motion for Ogbemudia and Osawe’s impeachment was moved by Nosakhare Isiegbuwa and seconded by Stella Ogida Osagioduwa. The impeachment proceedings were formally documented in the Edo State Government Gazette, notifying the affected officials of the initiation of impeachment proceedings in line with the Edo LG Byelaw on Pro-Action Notices, Legislative Privileges, and Impeachment Procedures For Elected Council Officials, 2024.
Among the critical issues that culminated in the change of leadership in the council included the legislative leadership’s inability to collaborate effectively with the local government chairmen, particularly in ensuring timely payment of salaries.
Specifically, the two-month delay in councillors’ salaries was seen as a politically motivated act aimed at coercing members into submission.
Upon resumption of plenary on Friday December 27, 2024, Eguakun, the newly elected Leader of the Legislative Arm, informed the House of the report submitted by the seven-man panel constituted to probe the allegations of gross misconduct against the chairman and her deputy, which found them guilty of all the allegations.
In a unanimous voice vote, the two of them were impeached by the councillors. Upon a motion by the Deputy Leader and seconded by the Majority Leader, the House resolved that the Leader of the Legislative Arm, Eguakun, should take over and he was subsequently sworn in as Functioning Chairman by the Clerk of the House at exactly 1.35 pm.