DAREDEVIL CHAIRMAN DECLARES WAR ON DEMOCRACY: Arrests, Assaults, and a Missing Roof in Oshimili North Council Crisis

By Our Correspondent

ASHABA — In a brazen assault on the rule of law that reads like a script from a failed state, the Executive Chairman of Oshimili North Local Government Council, Hon. Innocent Esewezie, stands accused of running a reign of terror against the legislative arm, complete with police brutality, illegal arrests, and the literal dismantling of the legislative chamber.

The unfolding constitutional crisis has thrown the local government into turmoil, with sources and court documents revealing a disturbing pattern of executive overreach that has left the legislative leader fighting for his life and liberty.

At the centre of the storm is Hon. Jeffrey Mordi, the embattled Leader of the Oshimili North Legislative Arm, who has endured six months without pay, multiple arrests, and alleged physical assault by police officers, all in defiance of a subsisting court order.

The crisis erupted when councillors impeached the former leadership, officers described as close allies of Chairman Esewezie. Since then, the council has descended into chaos, with the chairman allegedly orchestrating a campaign of harassment aimed at reversing the House’s decisions.

But the most stunning act of political vandalism came when, according to multiple sources and news reports, Chairman Esewezie ordered the removal of the roof of the legislative chamber, rendering the seat of democracy unusable .

Undeterred, the councillors continued their legislative duties under a tree on the council premises,a damning indictment of democratic governance in the state.

Hon. Mordi, in a bid to protect the legislative mace, the official symbol of the House’s authority, from damage or theft after the roof was removed, took custody of the symbol. The move, sources say, infuriated the chairman, who viewed it as a personal challenge to his authority.

The situation escalated dramatically when Hon. Mordi approached the High Court of Justice, Delta State, sitting in Akukwu-Igbo, seeking protection against what he described as persistent threats and unlawful arrest. The court granted an interim order restraining the respondents, including Hon. Innocent Esewezie and senior police officers, from arresting or harassing Hon. Mordi pending the substantive suit.

But in what appears to be a culture of impunity that has taken root in the local government, the court order has been repeatedly ignored.

Sources claim Hon. Mordi has been arrested on at least three occasions since the dispute began and was allegedly assaulted by police during the arrests, with photographic evidence showing injuries sustained by the House Leader. In the latest development, our correspondent gathered that Hon. Mordi has again been arrested by operatives of the Delta State Police Command, despite the subsisting court order.

Meanwhile, latest information indicates that following his latest arrest, Hon. Mordi has now been arraigned before a court by the police over allegations arising from a complaint lodged by the council chairman. However, the court processes were not available as of the time of filing this report.

Sources however, claimed that the yet-to-be-confirmed charge reportedly includes an allegation of treasonable felony arising from Hon. Mordi’s continued custody of the legislative mace.

According to the sources, the council chairman contends that Hon. Mordi unlawfully removed and retained the mace, which he regards as the symbol of the authority of the legislative arm.

Supporters of the chairman argue that persistent efforts to recover the mace are justified because, in their view, legislative proceedings conducted without the official symbol of authority could raise questions about legislative procedure and institutional legitimacy.

In another development, supporters of Hon. Mordi reject the allegation, maintaining that he neither stole nor unlawfully removed the mace. They insist that he assumed custody of it solely to prevent it from being damaged, lost or misused after the legislative chamber was allegedly rendered insecure following the removal of its roof.

Sources further disclosed that during an earlier encounter with the police, Hon. Mordi reportedly informed a senior police officer that the mace was in his possession and explained the circumstances under which he took custody of it. According to the sources, he has never denied having the mace and has consistently maintained that it remains secure.

The involvement of the Nigeria Police Force as an instrument of political persecution raises troubling questions. An Inspector Nkem (IPO), CSP Raymond Ndomeke, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, and even the Inspector-General of Police were all named as respondents in the suit, yet the harassment continues unabated.

“Hon. Mordi has remained without his statutory entitlements for more than six months,” a source familiar with the matter told our correspondent. “The chairman has succeeded in turning the council into a personal empire, and the police have become willing tools in his campaign of intimidation.”

In a further display of political desperation, the chairman reportedly provided vehicles and financial inducements to other councillors to align with the executive, but Hon. Mordi refused to be bought . His refusal, sources say, has heightened the face-off and placed him in even greater danger.

The crisis has taken on even deeper dimensions with Hon. Mordi petitioning the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations that the 2025 budget of the local government was implemented without the approval of the legislative arm as required by law.

Meanwhile, the executive chairman has attempted to appoint a new leadership outside the decision of the legislature and recalled impeached members in a move critics describe as unconstitutional executive interference .

As of press time, the Delta State Government has not intervened in what has become a constitutional crisis that threatens to undermine democratic governance at the grassroots level.

The question now is: under whose authority are the police acting? And when will Governor Sheriff Oborevwori put an end to this flagrant disregard for the rule of law?

The people of Oshimili North deserve answers. They deserve a government that respects court orders and the separation of powers. They deserve leaders who do not dismantle the roof of democracy when it becomes inconvenient.