Two new commercial banks have been cautioned by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Edo State chapter not to register fraudulent bank accounts for the state’s alleged acting local government chairmen in order to receive monthly payments from the Federation Account.
At a news conference in Benin City on Monday, Anthony Aziegbemi, the party’s interim committee chairman in the state, issued the warning.
Aziegbemi said that the two commercial banks are working with the state administration to alter the bank accounts and signatures of the elected council chairmen during a news conference headed “Ongoing constitutional crisis, chaos in Edo State Local Government Areas.”
“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.
On December 17, 2024, the Edo State Assembly suspended democratically elected local government chairmen for two months for allegedly inciting insurgency against the state’s governor, Monday Okpebholo. However, the House Leaders who were sworn in as acting LG chairmen and the various legislative arms of the councils purportedly impeached the troubled chairmen and their deputies.
According to Aziegbemi, the chairmen and deputies’ suspension and subsequent impeachment went against rulings from the Supreme Court and the Edo State High Court. Additionally, he pointed out that the rulings only permitted democratically elected council chairmen to access Federation Account allocations.
He claimed that the state administration ignored President Tinubu’s counsel on the matter of local government autonomy, which was provided by the Attorney General of the Federation. Aziegbemi accused the claimed acting council chairmen of spending money unlawfully, claiming that no local government in the state now has an approved budget.
Additionally, he claimed that when it comes to contract execution, transformer purchases, and event planning, the acting chairman does not adhere to due procedure.
“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 imprest 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.
However, he urged the House of Assembly to promptly recall the alleged suspended council chairmen in order to allow for a peaceful return to grassroots governance.
He pointed out that nothing is occurring in the councils at the moment and that suspected thugs are attacking and humiliating the elected chairman whenever they try to work.
