Court stops Edo govt, EDSIEC from conducting LG bye-elections
About 36-hours to the conduct of bye-election by the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC, into 63 councillorship seats across 15 local government areas, the State High Court sitting in Benin City has restrained the commission from conducting the election.
Edo State Independent Electoral Commission had slated September 20, 2025 for the conduct of the bye-election in the state
Justice Mary E. Itsueli, sitting as a vacation judge, granted the order on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, following an ex-parte motion brought by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The PDP, through its counsels, Oluwole Osaze Uzzi, Michael Ekwemuka and P. W. Akwuen, in the suit, B/247M/2025, had prayed the court for leave to apply for judicial review of EDSIEC’s decision to conduct bye-elections to fill councillorship positions in the affected wards.
The party argued that the councillors’ tenures remain valid until September 2026, making any attempt to declare their seats vacant unlawful.
Justice Itsueli, in her ruling, held that the applicants had shown sufficient grounds for the court to intervene.
The judge also referred the matter to the Chief Judge of Edo State for reassignment to a regular court, fixing September 30, 2025, for the return date.
