An Edo State High Court has placed a restraining order on planned local government by-elections across several wards, halting the exercise pending legal review.
The by-elections were meant to fill councillorship seats in 59 wards in Edo State. They had been scheduled for Saturday, September 20, 2025.
Justice Mary E. Itsueli, sitting as a vacation judge in Benin City, granted the ex-parte motion brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Court restrained the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) and the Edo State Government from proceeding with the by-elections in the affected wards.
The PDP had asked for leave to apply for a judicial review of the decision to declare seats vacant and to hold by-elections, arguing that the current councillors’ tenures remain valid until September 2026.
The case has been referred to the Chief Judge for assignment to a regular court; the return date has been fixed at September 30, 2025 for further hearings.
The PDP contends that declaring the councillors’ seats vacant before their tenure expires would be unlawful. If the court sides with PDP, the by-elections will be declared invalid.
For the state government and EDSIEC, the decision to call for by-elections was in response to a resolution by the Edo State Assembly, which accused some councillors of abandoning their duties.
The restraining order means that activities leading up to the elections — including preparations, campaigning, and possibly the elections themselves — are on hold. This could affect local governance in the wards where duties are being neglected.
