Crisis Deepens in Oshimili North LG Over Legislative Mace, Leadership Dispute
The leadership crisis rocking Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State has taken a dramatic turn following a dispute over the control of the Legislative Council and its official mace.
The new Leader of the House, Rt. Hon. Sunday Mordi, made this known on Thursday(today)while briefing journalists at the Delta State Secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) on the unfolding crisis in the local government.
According to him, the crisis began after the former Leader of the Legislative Council, Rt. Hon. Chris Nwamgbor, and his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Augustina Odogwu, were impeached by members of the House through a resolution reportedly supported by the entire legislature.
Following the impeachment, Rt. Hon. Mordi was elected as the new Leader of the Legislative Arm of the council. After his emergence, the new leadership convened a plenary session at the Legislative Chambers, where members deliberated on legislative priorities for the year and reaffirmed their commitment to due process, peace, and effective grassroots governance in Oshimili North Local Government Area.
Speaking on the development, Rt. Hon. Mordi stated that at the conclusion of the plenary sitting, the official Legislative Mace—the symbol of authority of the House—was formally handed over to him by the Clerk of the House, Benedict Agboje, in line with established legislative procedures.
However, tensions reportedly escalated following actions attributed to the Council Chairman, Hon. Innocent Esewezie. According to the new House leadership, the chairman rejected the emergence of the newly elected legislative executives, allegedly threatened that the House under Rt. Hon. Mordi would no longer be allowed to function, and vowed to appoint a new leadership outside the decision of the legislature.
The situation worsened when the chairman announced the appointment of Hon. Henry Olowu as the new Leader of the Legislative Arm and recalled Hon. Augustina Odogwu, who had earlier been impeached alongside Rt. Hon. Nwamgbor.
In another controversial move, the legislative leadership alleged that the chairman ordered the removal of the roof of the Legislative Council building under the guise of total renovation—an action critics described as an attempt to frustrate legislative activities. The development has drawn comparisons with similar political actions previously witnessed in neighbouring states.
The legislative arm has strongly faulted the chairman’s actions, describing them as unconstitutional and inconsistent with established legislative procedures. Rt. Hon. Mordi alleged that the moves amount to executive interference and an encroachment on the independence of the legislative arm of government.
“I remain the authentic Leader of the Legislative Arm of Oshimili North Local Government Area, and I am in lawful custody of the legislative mace,” Rt. Hon. Mordi declared.
According to him, the purported appointment and reinstatement of lawmakers were not ratified by the House and therefore lack legal backing. He urged members of the public to disregard any leadership arrangement not endorsed by the Legislative Council, stressing that he remains the only duly recognised Leader of the House.
Rt. Hon. Mordi also appealed to the Executive Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to urgently intervene and restore order, noting that the Oborevwori administration is founded on the principles of rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic governance.
“We were elected by the people, and their mandate must be respected. No individual should turn the affairs of the council into a personal empire,” he said, calling on the state government to rein in what he described as executive overreach at the local government level.
As of the time of filing this report, efforts to obtain the reaction of the council chairman proved unsuccessful. Meanwhile, political stakeholders and community leaders have called for restraint, dialogue, and lawful resolution of the crisis to prevent further disruption of governance at the grassroots.
