BARELY 24 hours after Vanguard exclusively reported that the plot to impeach Edo State Deputy Governor, Mr Philip Shaibu, was thickening, the Edo State House of Assembly, yesterday, served Shaibu an impeachment notice, giving him seven days to respond to the allegation of constitutional infractions.
At the sitting of the house, the Majority Leader, Mr. Charity Aiguobarueghian, announced that a petition to that effect, dated March 5, 2024, was signed by 21 of the 24 members, against the deputy governor, adding that the number of members who signed the petition were more than the two-thirds requirement stipulated by the Constitution.
Two grounds of impeachment
He also announced that the petition was based on two grounds: perjury and revealing of government secrets.
The House Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, who acknowledged receipt of the petition, directed the Clerk, Yahaya Omogbai, to serve the impeachment notice on Shaibu and gave the deputy governor seven days to respond.
Shaibu has been in the eyes of the storm following his frosty relations with his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki, over the Edo governorship ticket of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Oshiomhole denies involvement
Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Edo North Senatorial District and the Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, has denied his alleged involvement in the move to impeach Shaibu.
A statement by Oshiomhole’s Legislative Aide, Victor Oshioke, said the report in the social media linking him to the plot to impeach Shaibu was fake.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to an article circulating on social media regarding a purported plan by the Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki to call on lawmakers of Edo State House of Assembly to begin impeachment proceedings against his deputy, Philip Shaibu.
“Ordinarily, we would neither be concerned nor bothered by what methods the characters in the unending feud within the Edo State PDP employ to settle scores among themselves. However, we are compelled to clarify and set the record straight because in the said article, it was falsely claimed, and I quote ‘our reporter also gathered that the governor have(sic) already gotten across to Senator Adams Oshiomhole to help him lobby and talk to the APC lawmakers in the House to support the impeachment move against Philip Shaibu since he and the deputy governor are not in good terms with the Edo North Senator.’
“We wish to categorically state that Senator Oshiomhole has not, at any time, engaged in discussions with Governor Obaseki regarding plans to impeach his deputy.““Let it be put on record that Senator Oshiomhole, as the apex leader of the APC in Edo State, is solely focused on fostering goodwill between the people of Edo State and the APC, with the goal of winning the upcoming governorship election and returning the state to a path of progress under an APC government.“
“Also, it is important to state that matters of impeachment are the sole responsibilities of the Edo State House of Assembly and the Edo State Judiciary. Political parties have no constitutional role to play in any impeachment process. Therefore, the notion that Senator Oshiomhole can influence the actions of APC lawmakers should there be any impeachment exercise in the Edo State House of Assembly is simply preposterous. Senator Oshiomhole has not and will not engage in any deals with Governor Obaseki on this or any other political issue.
“Lastly, we urge all Edo people to approach articles of this nature with skepticism if the authors fail to take credit for their allegations. As we begin the process leading to the September 2024 governorship election in our beloved state, let us all strive for truthful and responsible discourse in our political environment.”
CRPP condemns move
In a related development, the Coalition of Registered Political Parties, CRPP, has called on Governor Obaseki to jettison his alleged impeachment plan against his deputy and start preparing his hand over note for his successor.
The CRPP Chairman, Samson Isibor, who gave the warning in a statement, said that Shaibu has not committed any offence by choosing to contest the governorship election and that he was only exercising his right and that any plan to impeach him would lead to crisis in the state.
The statement read in part: “The CRPP in its emergency meeting on March 3, deliberated on the political development in Edo State particularly the purported plan to impeach the Deputy Governor being muted by Governor Obaseki and the Speaker Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku.
“The CRPP resolved that the impeachment idea is condemnable and is uncalled for. This act by Governor Obaseki can ignite a chain reactions, which can lead to anarchy
“We implore the governor to jettison the idea of impeachment and work towards the peaceful transition of power to the next elected governor of Edo State. As far as we are concerned, the Deputy Governor has not committed any impeachable offence or breached his oath of office. The Edo people have the exclusive right to call for his impeachment if he commits any offence like corruption, misappropriation of public funds. Governor Obaseki has no right to continue to intimidate Shaibu.”
Shaibu keeps mum, consults his lawyers
All efforts to get the deputy governor’s comment on the move were unsuccessful as he did not pick repeated calls to his mobile phone.
One of his aides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “All I can tell you is that the deputy governor is not in town, I believe he will respond at the right time. For me, I am an employee of the governor so I cannot speak on this.”
Vanguard gathered that Shaibu is consulting with his lawyers as he has not officially received the notice.
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