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By Our Reporter, with reports by Hendrix Oliomogbe

The Edo State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed to mobilise against a bill before the Edo State House of Assembly seeking to repeal or amend the state’s Assembly and Judiciary Autonomy Law, 2021.
The NLC described the proposed legislation as a dangerous attempt to reverse years of struggle for the financial and administrative independence of the legislature and judiciary.

In a statement issued on Thursday in Benin City, the caretaker committee chairman of the council, Prof. Monday Igbafen, urged the newly elected Speaker of the House, Yekini Idiaye, to immediately stop the move.
Igbafen warned that any amendment capable of weakening the autonomy of the legislature and judiciary would undermine the independence of both institutions and threaten democratic governance in the state.

“Any bill seeking to amend or tinker with the autonomy law in a manner that compromises the independence of the judiciary and legislature must be resisted,” he said.

He added that allowing the executive to control the finances and personnel of the judiciary and legislature was incompatible with the principles of impartiality, accountability and separation of powers.
“The control of the purse and personnel of the judiciary and legislature by the executive is antithetical to judicial and legislative impartiality in the state,” Igbafen said.

The NLC chairman described the reported move by the new leadership of the House to alter the 2021 law as unpopular, inconceivable and contrary to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said the labour union would collaborate with critical stakeholders and other civil society actors in the state to resist what he described as any attempt to undermine institutional autonomy.

The statement warned that efforts to weaken the autonomy of the legislature and judiciary—whether through direct repeal, amendment or other forms of subterfuge—would be met with the collective resistance of the people.

The Edo NLC also expressed solidarity with members of the state chapter of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), who have opposed the proposed amendment process.

The union maintained that preserving the independence of the legislature and judiciary was essential to safeguarding accountability and preventing excessive executive control in Edo State.