BENIN CITY – Political tension has gripped Edo State as a High Court sitting in Benin has stopped the state government and the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) from going ahead with their planned local government by-elections in 59 wards.
Justice Mary E. Itsueli, sitting as a vacation judge, issued the restraining order on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, after hearing an ex-parte motion filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP argued that the tenure of the affected councillors remains valid until September 2026, making any attempt to declare their seats vacant and hold fresh polls unlawful.
Through its legal team — Oluwole Osaze Uzzi, Michael Ekwemuka, and P.W. Akwuen — the PDP prayed the court for leave to seek a judicial review of EDSIEC’s decision. Justice Itsueli agreed that the applicants had shown enough grounds for intervention and referred the matter to the Chief Judge of Edo State for reassignment to a regular court, with September 30 fixed as the return date.
In her ruling, Justice Itsueli ordered that both the Edo State Government and EDSIEC must halt all further steps connected to the planned by-elections until the substantive motion is determined. “The respondents are restrained from conducting the election or taking any further steps in connection with the planned Local Government by-election across 59 wards, particularly as it relates to the seats of duly elected councillors,” the judge stated.
With this order, the political battle over control of Edo’s local governments has now shifted squarely to the courts, setting the stage for a legal showdown between the PDP and the state government in the weeks ahead.
