Members of the dissolved Edo State Civil Service Commission have instituted a suit before the Benin Division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) challenging their removal from office, which they said is unconstitutional.
They are calling for their reinstatement and claiming damages of N250 million as compensation for the purported abrupt termination of their appointment.
The suit marked NICN/BEN/06/2025 between the removed members namely, Iguodala Aluyi, Ehi Obaseki, Adegboyega Gilbert, Juliana Olatunji and Margaret Ohiowele as Respondent against the Edo state government, the governor of the state, Deputy Governor, the Attorney General of the state, the Accountant General of the State and the Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly as Defendants gave them within 14 days for an appearance to be entered for them.
They want to the court among other things to determine whether the constitution empowered the defendants to dissolve the Edo State Civil Service Commission, a body they said was created under section 197 of the 1999constitution, by means of a Publication dated 17 December, 2024.
The Respondents want the court to declare among other things that “the 1st defendant and 2nd defendant acted in excess of the powers vested in them under the 1999 constitution when they purportedly dissolved the Edo State Civil Service Commission by a publication dated 17 December 2024, that the publication dated 17 December, 2024 emanating from the 2nd defendant is unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect.”
They want the court to grant an order “setting aside the publication dated December 17,2024 purportedly dissolving the Edo State Civil Service Commission, that the 1st — 5th Claimants appointments as Chairman and members of the Edo State Civil Service Commission respectively made on 15th October, 2024 are still valid and subsisting, that the 1st to 5th Claimants by law are entitled to a guaranteed tenure of five years removable only in accordance with the provisions of S. 201(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Nigeria.
“An order restraining the defendants, their agents, representatives or assigns from doing any act(s) which may prejudice the interest of the Claimants from discharging the functions or duties of their office pending the expiration of their term of office as stipulated in Section 199(1) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“That the first to fifth claimants are entitled to all their remunerations, their full salaries, allowances and benefits from 15 October, 2024,the period when they were unlawfully removed by the 2nd defendant and until their tenure expires.
“General Damages in the sum of N250,000,000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) suffered by the Claimants for the abrupt publication and purported termination, determination or disengagement as members of the Edo State Civil Service Commission for no just cause and the attendant odium associated with it”.
