The Edo House of Assembly (EDHA) commenced impeachment proceedings against Comrade Philip Shaibu, the state deputy governor, on Wednesday.
The announcement of the impeachment proceeding was made by the Majority Leader, Charity Aiguobarueghian. She stated that a petition dated March 5, 2024, had been signed by 21 out of the 24 members against the deputy governor.
Aiguobarueghian clarified that the number of members who signed the petition exceeded the two-thirds requirement stipulated in the constitution. She also noted that the petition was based on two grounds: perjury and the revelation of government secrets.
The speaker of the house, Blessing Agbebaku, acknowledged the receipt of the petition. She directed the clerk of the house, Yahaya Omogbai, to serve the impeachment notice on the deputy governor. Agbebaku granted the deputy governor seven days to respond to the notice of impeachment.
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It is worth recalling that Shaibu has been in the midst of a controversy with his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki, over the governorship ticket of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
While Shaibu contested for the PDP ticket, an ally of Obaseki, Asue Ighodalo, emerged as the party’s flagbearer in the recently concluded gubernatorial primary. Shaibu declared himself the winner of the exercise after assembling some loyalists in his official quarters for another primary.
In the heat of the crisis, Shaibu was also relocated from his former office in the Government House premises to another building outside the Government House.