Tony Osauzo, Benin
Commercial activities were yesterday grounded in Auchi, headquarters of Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, as protesters took over the Auchi-Okenne-Abuja highway to protest the suspension of a council Chairman, Musa Yakubu, by Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The governor had suspended the chairman over alleged fraud pending investigation by a panel set up to unravel the case, but the protesters armed with placards with various inscriptions, stormed the council’s secretariat to register their grievances.
The protesters, who chanted anti-government slogan, also accused the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, of being behind the suspension allegedly to enable him plant his loyalists in the area.
Their spokesman, Muhammad Momoh, said the suspension is illegal, adding that the issue of fraud at the council was discovered by the chairman.
“This protest is in solidarity with our son who was forcefully suspended without due process of the law.
“The fraud was discovered by the chairman, reported to the state government and wondered why he was suspended,” he said.
He called on the state government to exercise transparency in addressing the fraud in the council.
When contacted, Chief Press Secretary to Shaibu, Musa Ebhomiana, denied the allegation.
“You don’t give a dog a bad name in order for you to hang it, he has more important state matters to attend than to think of suspending his own local government chairman for that matter and he is not even in town, he is on vacation.
“A man who is working tirelessly for a better state is being accused of all manner of allegations? Musa queried.”