NBA Benin Branch Faults Alleged Plan to Alter Edo Judiciary and Assembly Autonomy Law

The Benin Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association has publicly opposed what it described as an attempt by the Edo State House of Assembly to repeal or amend the law protecting the financial and administrative autonomy of the state's judiciary and legislature.

Bar's Position

In a statement signed by the branch's Chairman and Secretary, Idemudia Osifo and Chris Otasowie, the NBA said the autonomy in question is already constitutionally guaranteed and cannot be tampered with by any arm of government. The association called on the state's Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Roland Otaru SAN, to ensure any such plan is reversed, describing it as unconstitutional.

The branch demanded the immediate withdrawal of any bill seeking to weaken the Autonomy Law, full implementation of the autonomy already provided for, and public consultation with stakeholders including the NBA, the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, and civil society before any amendment is considered.

Protest at the Assembly

The controversy followed a disruption at the Assembly, where members of the Parliamentary Staff Association occupied the chamber for hours, preventing lawmakers from commencing plenary after workers said they had sighted items on the House Order Paper proposing changes to the autonomy law. Osifo, addressing the protesters, described the alleged move as embarrassing and said the association would resist any attempt to undermine financial autonomy. A former branch chairman, Ede Asenoguan, called the autonomy a constitutional matter that should not be reversed without broad consultation.

Speaker Denies Repeal Plan

Speaker of the Edo Assembly, Rt Hon Yekini Idaiye, later dismissed the reports, saying the confusion arose because he had been seen reading an old order paper during plenary. He maintained that no repeal is planned, and that the Assembly is only considering an amendment to strengthen monitoring of capital project execution under the autonomy framework, through a proposed agency to track fund releases and project supervision for both arms of government.

Why It Matters

The episode reflects a broader and long-running tension in Nigeria between state legislatures and the judiciary over financial independence, an issue the NBA Benin Branch has pursued since at least 2021, when it first drafted a judicial autonomy bill for the state.