The suspended chairman of Oredo Local Government Area (LGA), Dr. Tom Obaseki, has threatened to file a contempt of court charge against the Edo State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Lucky Eseigbe, over the appointment of an acting council chairman.
Obaseki, through his counsel, Olayiwola Afolabi, SAN, issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the commissioner to withdraw the appointment letter given to Dr. Igbinigie Osaheni, the Head of Local Government Administration, or face legal action.
In a letter addressed to the commissioner, Afolabi described the appointment as unlawful and a violation of an existing court order, emphasizing that Obaseki remains the legitimate chairman as reaffirmed by a mandatory injunction granted by Justice Ikponwonba in Suit No: B/307/2024.
He warned that failure to comply would result in contempt proceedings, stressing that the Edo State Government had already been restrained by the court from making such appointments.
The commissioner, in a letter dated February 3, 2025, had appointed Osaheni as acting chairman, citing the refusal of elected councillors to assume leadership following the suspension of all 18 local government chairmen and their deputies over allegations of financial misappropriation and insubordination to Governor Monday Okpebholo.
Obaseki’s legal team insists that the commissioner’s actions contravene legal provisions and have demanded an immediate retraction and apology.
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