The Edo State House of Assembly, on Monday, impeached the embattled state deputy governor, Philip Shaibu.
The impeachment followed the adoption of the report of the seven-man investigative panel set up by the state Chief Judge to probe allegations of misconduct against Shaibu.
The panel was headed by Justice S.A. Omonua (retd.), and it ended its sitting on Friday after Shaibu failed to appear before it.
He was probed on allegations of perjury and leaking of government’s secrets.
The panel had adjourned till Thursday for Shaibu to open his defence, and when he didn’t show up, he was given till Friday to come and defend the allegation against him, which he failed to do.
The state assembly, which is the petitioner in the case, had opened and closed its case, paving the way for Shaibu to defend the allegations levelled against him.
Shaibu’s counsel, Oladoyin Awoyale, attended the Wednesday (the opening day) sitting but excused himself in the middle of the hearing after the panel refused his prayer to suspend the proceedings pending the outcome of a suit filed in Abuja by Shaibu challenging the impeachment move against him.
Omonuwa upheld the opposition to the suspension prayer by the Assembly, represented by its Deputy Clerk, Joe Ohiafi.
After Awoyale excused himself, Ohiafi went on to state the Assembly’s case against Shaibu.
In attendance at the House sitting were 20 members, including the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, but 18 members voted for the impeachment while one member abstained.
The deputy governor’s impeachment commenced with the Clerk of the House reading out Order 10-Presentation and consideration of the seven-man panel report of an allegation of gross misconduct against the deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, listed in the Assembly’s items for consideration.
Shortly after, the majority leader of the House, Charity Aiguobarueghan, representing Ovia North East 1, moved for the report to be considered.
His motion was seconded by the Minority Leader, Eric Okaka, Owan East.
Consequently, the Speaker assumed chairman of the committee of the whole House to consider the report after the Majority and Minority Leaders moved and seconded a motion to that effect, respectively.
During the presentation of the report, Donald Okogbe, Akoko-Edo II, rose to object to Part C of the report but his objection was overruled by the Speaker.
The House, after that, resolved that the allegation of perjury against the deputy governor was not proved but held that the second allegation of disclosure of official secrets was proved against the deputy governor.
At this stage, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Assembly moved and seconded a motion, respectively, that the Speaker revert to his position as Speaker of the House.
The Majority Leader further moved that with regard to Section 188 Subsection 9 of the Constitution, the report be put to vote.
At the end of the voting, 18 members voted in support of the impeachment, while one member abstained.
In his comment, the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, said more than two-third majority of the House voted and endorsed the impeachment.
“I hereby, from my seat, announce that the deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, stands impeached,” he declared.
Recall that when the case came up on March 28, Justice I. E. Ekwo ordered the respondents – Inspector General of Police, State Security Service, the chairman of the impeachment panel, Justice S. A. Omonua (retd), and three members of the panel of seven appointed the by fourth defendant, Edo State Chief Judge and the House of Assembly, to be at the court on April 8 to show cause why the injunction to maintain status, pending the hearing and determination of the Originating Motion on Notice should not be granted.
The PUNCH reports that the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, and Shaibu have been having issues since the governor failed to declare his support for the deputy governor’s governorship ambition.
This led to the plot to impeach the deputy governor last week.
Shaibu, in his move to halt his impeachment proceeding, served Obaseki and the House of Assembly an originating summons in the case.
The PUNCH gathered that the security at the Government House had earlier sent away the bailiff, but Shaibu succeeded in getting the summons to the governor by courier.
Also, the bailiff succeeded in pasting the summons at the entrance of the state House of Assembly.
But, the Federal High Court in Abuja declined to halt the impeachment proceedings initiated by the Edo State House of Assembly against Shaibu.
