The political atmosphere in Edo State took a new shape on Monday when the state’s House of Assembly impeached embattled Philip Shaibu as deputy governor, ending a long-drawn drama between him and Governor Godwin Obaseki.
He was impeached during the House’s plenary session in Benin City, the Edo State capital in a move that began months ago following the soured relationship between Obaseki and Shaibu.
Shaibu’s impeachment followed the adoption of the report of a seven-man committee set up by the chief judge of Edo State Justice Daniel Okungbowa to investigate allegations of misconduct against the deputy governor.
During plenary at the assembly complex in Benin City, the Edo State capital, the Majority Leader of the House Charity Aiguobarueghian said the report of the seven-man judicial panel of inquiry presented to the House had two findings and one recommendation.
Aiguobarueghian said that while the report of the panel was unable to establish the case of perjury levelled against the deputy governor, the panel found him guilty of disclosure of government secrets.
According to the report, the seven-man judicial panel of inquiry recommended that the deputy governor be impeached on grounds of disclosure of government secrets.
The Clerk of the House Yahaya Omogbai conducted a head count of the lawmakers who voted for and against the impeachment of Shaibu.
Eighteen out of 19 members present at plenary voted for the impeachment of the deputy governor while one abstained from the head count and voting process.
The clerk of the House stated that 2/3 (16 members of the House) was needed to carry out the impeachment
The assembly then upheld and approved the recommendation of the seven-man panel and subsequently impeached the deputy governor.
The speaker Agbebaku has since directed Omogbai to forward copies of the impeachment to Governor Godwin Obaseki for his assent.
Monday’s impeachment comes as a Federal High Court in Abuja was to resume sitting in the lawsuit filed by Shaibu to challenge the Edo State House of Assembly’s plan to impeach him.
Last week, the Edo House of Assembly started the impeachment proceedings against Shaibu. Twenty-one of the 24 lawmakers signed a petition to that effect.
But in a swift reaction to the impeachment, Shaibu said it was an attack on the country’s democracy.
“This is not just an attack on me as an individual but on the democracy that we hold dear,” he said
“It is a dangerous descent into dictatorship and a threat to the foundation of our democracy. Let it be clear that this impeachment was hatched because of my ambition to contest the Edo State 2024 governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. An ambition that is a legal right to all citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”