Plenary sitting was disrupted for several hours at the Edo State House of Assembly on Wednesday as workers protested against the proposed repeal of the financial autonomy granted to the state legislature and judiciary.
DAILY POST reports that the workers described the proposed repeal as a threat to the independence and effective functioning of the two arms of government.
DAILY POST recalls that the financial autonomy was granted to the two arms of government in 2023, during the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki, by the state lawmakers.
Trouble started when the Order Paper for the day’s plenary sitting on August 19, 2026, listed two bills: “A Bill for a Law to Repeal the Edo State Judiciary Financial Autonomy Law, 2023” and “A Bill for a Law to Repeal the Edo State House of Assembly Funds Management Law, 2023.”
Following the development, workers in their large numbers stormed the main legislative chamber to protest against the proposal.
The workers, chanting anti-government songs, described the move as uncalled for, noting that they had fought for the autonomy during the administration of former Governor Obaseki.
They said they had started enjoying the financial autonomy since 2024, before the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo, and urged the lawmakers to have a rethink and shelve the proposal.
The workers vowed to continue their protest until the lawmakers did the needful by ensuring that the autonomy was not tampered with.
The repeal of the financial autonomy for both the judiciary and the House of Assembly was an executive bill from the state governor, Monday Okpebholo.
Addressing the staff, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) in the state, Mallam Umar Faruk, condemned the move by the House to repeal the law.
Faruk said the Speaker of the House, Hon. Yekini Idaiye, had assured him that the House was not repealing the laws but only amending them.
He, however, said the workers were not enjoying 100 per cent implementation of the autonomy.
Also protesting were members of the Benin branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), who were at the chamber to condemn the proposal.
The branch chairman of the NBA, Idemudia Iredia Osifo, who kicked against the proposal, noted that the House of Assembly and the judiciary had enjoyed autonomy since 2024.
According to him, “We are strongly against the proposal by the House of Assembly to repeal the laws because, for the short time, we have felt the dividends of these two institutions.
“The dividends are clear; the evidence is there for everybody to see. We think it is something that should be sustained.
“The repeal would be too aggressive. We have not come here to make trouble. We have only come to sensitise members of the public because there is panic in public, to let them know that the NBA is interested in the outcome of this process that is about to be initiated by the House of Assembly.
“We do not support the withdrawal of the autonomy of these two institutions,” he said.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the NBA, Benin branch, Barrister Ede Asenoguan, described the proposal as retrogressive rather than progressive.
“We got information as to the fact that the House is proposing to repeal the financial autonomy law of both the legislature and the judiciary. That law gave financial autonomy, financial independence to these other two arms of government.
“Financial autonomy is a constitutional matter. The Constitution has made it clear that these three arms of government, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, are separate and independent.
“And so the law made room and provision for each of them to have their financial autonomy. So we were delighted because the struggle has been on.
“Sometime in 2023, the Edo State House of Assembly passed a law granting autonomy to these two other arms of government. And yet today, we hear that the House is proposing to repeal that bill by removing that autonomy.
“And that is unacceptable. It is not in the interest of the state, it is not in the interest of progress and it is not in the interest of development.
“We’ve had an issue even from the judiciary. Last year, the judiciary was given about N6 billion by way of budgetary allocation for capital projects.
“This year, it was slashed from N6 billion to a miserly N300 million, which is far, far less than even five per cent of what they were given the previous year.
“And what that means is that you expect the judiciary to come to the executive when they want to buy diesel for their generator,” he added.
Asenoguan said it was appalling that Idaiye, who was elected as the new Speaker on Monday, August 17, 2026, should allow himself to be used to pass “illegal bills” that are detrimental to the welfare of workers.
However, while addressing the workers, the Speaker, Hon. Yekini Idaiye, denied that the House was repealing the law, saying it was only amending it.
He said the House was only amending the capital component of the law and not the expenditure aspect.
Idaiye explained that repealing the law would also affect the lawmakers, assuring the workers that the House would not take any action that would compromise their welfare.
Following the protest, the House subsequently changed the proposed repeal to an amendment.