Opinion
How Okpebholo stood aside while Afegbua, Itua makes mockery of Edo in legal parlance
Written By: Dada Ayokhai
25 Dec 2024 08:59 AM
Edo State is once again making headlines but for all the wrong reasons.
A state that prides itself on its educated populace is failing miserably to grasp the fundamental concept of local government autonomy.
The discordant voices emanating from the Edo Government House, including those of high-ranking officials, reveal a disturbing decline in rational thought, decency, and governance standards.
How did our beloved state, once hailed as the heartbeat of the nation, descend into this disgraceful situation?
A recent Supreme Court judgement on local government autonomy is being ridiculed and misinterpreted by outsiders, while shockingly, the state government remains silent as if all is well.
Many conscientious Nigerians, regardless of their political affiliations, recognized the Supreme Court ruling as a pivotal decision that should enable local government authorities to fulfil their constitutional responsibilities.
Yet, right before our eyes, Edo State is blatantly contravening the laws of the land, and the state government and its officials are indifferent. Their attempts to reinterpret the apex court's ruling are particularly infuriating, especially coming from individuals who are not legally trained!
Even the intervention of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), a respected figure well-versed in the country’s legal framework, failed to prompt any reconsideration on their part.
To be clear, using the state assembly as a tool to suspend council chairmen and their deputies under the flimsy pretext of insubordination is a misguided approach to a complex legal matter. A more thoughtful and creative resolution could have been devised by the governor and his team, sparing us all this unnecessary controversy.
In a saner clime, the sparks would have subsided following the Attorney General's pronouncement, recognizing he holds the ultimate authority on legal matters.
However, this was not the case in the ongoing conflict between the state government and local government council chairmen.
Rather than simmer and swallow their ego, the government spin doctors went on a fast and furious media offensive to ridicule the AGF. It was glaringly apparent that many of them lacked a fundamental understanding of the law.
While one can empathize with the desperate attempts for survival amid the dismal economic climate, it is unacceptable for individuals with no legal background to take the stage and criticize those speaking with legal authority.
Take Mr. Kazeem Afegbua, a former commissioner in the state during a television appearance while attempting to interpret the Attorney General's remarks. muddled, and he ultimately lost the audience's respect in the process.
Afegbua is a member of the panel assigned to scrutinize the financial records of the council areas. Whether motivated by fear of losing support or simply disinterested in legal matters, he displayed a striking lack of legal acumen. We know him to be a media figure, not a legal practitioner. Whatever emboldened him to challenge the Attorney General's position must possess extraordinary power.
The same applied to Mr. Fred Itua, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor. His press releases, which read like whimsical tales, attempted to legitimize the state government's actions. Yet with each attempt, their profound legal ignorance is further exposed.
Even Hon. Samson Osagie, the Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, appears impotent. He stands on the sidelines while this legal farce unfolds, projecting the image of an Attorney General caught unprepared against detractors eager to dismantle the very foundation he should be defending.
A state that prides itself on its educated populace is failing miserably to grasp the fundamental concept of local government autonomy.
The discordant voices emanating from the Edo Government House, including those of high-ranking officials, reveal a disturbing decline in rational thought, decency, and governance standards.
How did our beloved state, once hailed as the heartbeat of the nation, descend into this disgraceful situation?
A recent Supreme Court judgement on local government autonomy is being ridiculed and misinterpreted by outsiders, while shockingly, the state government remains silent as if all is well.
Many conscientious Nigerians, regardless of their political affiliations, recognized the Supreme Court ruling as a pivotal decision that should enable local government authorities to fulfil their constitutional responsibilities.
Yet, right before our eyes, Edo State is blatantly contravening the laws of the land, and the state government and its officials are indifferent. Their attempts to reinterpret the apex court's ruling are particularly infuriating, especially coming from individuals who are not legally trained!
Even the intervention of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), a respected figure well-versed in the country’s legal framework, failed to prompt any reconsideration on their part.
To be clear, using the state assembly as a tool to suspend council chairmen and their deputies under the flimsy pretext of insubordination is a misguided approach to a complex legal matter. A more thoughtful and creative resolution could have been devised by the governor and his team, sparing us all this unnecessary controversy.
In a saner clime, the sparks would have subsided following the Attorney General's pronouncement, recognizing he holds the ultimate authority on legal matters.
However, this was not the case in the ongoing conflict between the state government and local government council chairmen.
Rather than simmer and swallow their ego, the government spin doctors went on a fast and furious media offensive to ridicule the AGF. It was glaringly apparent that many of them lacked a fundamental understanding of the law.
While one can empathize with the desperate attempts for survival amid the dismal economic climate, it is unacceptable for individuals with no legal background to take the stage and criticize those speaking with legal authority.
Take Mr. Kazeem Afegbua, a former commissioner in the state during a television appearance while attempting to interpret the Attorney General's remarks. muddled, and he ultimately lost the audience's respect in the process.
Afegbua is a member of the panel assigned to scrutinize the financial records of the council areas. Whether motivated by fear of losing support or simply disinterested in legal matters, he displayed a striking lack of legal acumen. We know him to be a media figure, not a legal practitioner. Whatever emboldened him to challenge the Attorney General's position must possess extraordinary power.
The same applied to Mr. Fred Itua, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor. His press releases, which read like whimsical tales, attempted to legitimize the state government's actions. Yet with each attempt, their profound legal ignorance is further exposed.
Even Hon. Samson Osagie, the Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, appears impotent. He stands on the sidelines while this legal farce unfolds, projecting the image of an Attorney General caught unprepared against detractors eager to dismantle the very foundation he should be defending.
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