Edo Assembly Impeachs Shaibu

The Edo State House of Assembly has impeached the embattled deputy governor Philip Shaibu.

He was impeached during Monday’s plenary session in Benin City, the Edo State capital. His impeachment brings to an end several months of political drama between him and his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Following the acceptance of the report by the seven-member committee that Chief Judge Daniel Okungbowa of Edo State had constituted to look into the deputy governor’s alleged misbehaviour, Shaibu was impeached. 

The majority leader of the house, Charity Aiguobarueghian, announced during plenary at the assembly complex in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, that the seven-member judicial panel of inquiry’s report included two conclusions and one recommendation.

According to Aiguobarueghian, the panel deemed the deputy governor guilty of disclosing government secrets, even though the findings did not support the allegations of perjury made against him. 

Per the report, the deputy governor should be impeached due to his leaking of government secrets, as suggested by the seven-member judicial panel of inquiry. Counting the number of lawmakers who voted in favour of and against Shaibu’s impeachment was done by Yahaya Omogbai, Clerk of the House.

Out of the 19 members present at plenary, 18 voted for the impeachment of the deputy governor while one abstained from the head count and voting process.

According to the house clerk, the impeachment process required the support of two-thirds (16) of the House’s members. 

The assembly then impeached the deputy governor after upholding and approving the panel’s seven-member decision. Since then, Omogbai has been instructed by Speaker Blessing Agbebaku to provide copies of the impeachment to Governor Godwin Obaseki for his approval.

The impeachment on Monday coincides with the resumption of proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja in Shaibu’s lawsuit contesting the Edo State House of Assembly’s impeachment plot. The Edo House of Assembly began Shaibu’s impeachment process last week. A petition to that effect was signed by 21 of the 24 parliamentarians.

 Shaibu was charged with perjury and divulging secrets of the state administration. The members were informed by Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly Blessing Agbebaku during its plenary session last Tuesday that Shaibu had run out of time to reply to the impeachment notice that had been served on him.