The Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to press contempt charges against the Chairman and members of the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), alongside the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of the state, accusing them of brazen disregard for subsisting court orders restraining the conduct of local government elections.
In a strongly worded statement on Monday, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP Edo State Caretaker Committee, Chris Osa Nehikhare, faulted what he described as the “reckless and unlawful conduct” of the electoral body, which he said went ahead with arrangements for the polls in defiance of binding judicial pronouncements.
According to Nehikhare, both the Edo State High Court and the National Industrial Court had issued explicit orders halting any planned local government election, yet the commission, allegedly acting in collusion with the Attorney-General, proceeded in contempt of the law on Saturday, September 20, 2025.
He recalled that Justice Mary E. Itsueli, sitting as a vacation judge, had on September 16, 2025, granted an interim restraining order against EDSIEC. The order was issued in response to an ex-parte motion filed by the PDP, which challenged the legality of the commission’s move to declare certain council seats vacant and conduct fresh polls.
In the suit, marked No. B/247M/2025, the PDP had argued that the tenure of the affected local government chairmen and councillors subsists until September 2026, stressing that any premature termination of their mandate would be unconstitutional. Justice Itsueli, in her ruling, held that the PDP had established a strong basis for judicial review of EDSIEC’s decision, and therefore directed that all steps towards conducting the elections be suspended pending the determination of the substantive matter.
Despite these clear directives, Nehikhare noted, the electoral body “willfully chose to set aside the authority of the courts” in what the PDP described as a calculated affront to the judiciary and a dangerous precedent for democratic governance in the state.
“The actions of the EDSIEC Chairman, his commissioners, and the Attorney-General amount to a direct challenge to the sanctity of the rule of law. This level of impunity is contemptuous, shameful, and unbecoming of public officers who swore an oath to protect the Constitution,” Nehikhare stated.
He disclosed that the PDP has therefore instructed its legal counsel to immediately initiate contempt proceedings against all those involved, insisting that they must be made personally liable before the court.
The statement further assured residents of Edo State that the PDP will remain steadfast in defending democratic values, the independence of the judiciary, and the supremacy of the rule of law.
“Democracy cannot thrive in an environment where court orders are ignored with reckless abandon. The judiciary has spoken, and the law must take its course. We will not stand by and watch the institutions of democracy be undermined,” the PDP declared.
