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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Edo State House of Assembly has impeached the embattled deputy governor of the state, Philip Shaibu.
His 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 (rtd.), 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, when he didn’t show up, he was given till Friday to come and defend the allegations 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 (SAN), attended Wednesday’s sitting, but excused himself in the middle of the hearing after the panel refused his prayers 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 Awoyale’s prayers 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.
Recall that when the case came up on March 28, Justice Inyang Ekwo ordered the respondents – Inspector General of Police, Department of State Services, chairman of the impeachment panel, and three members of the seven man panel 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 quo, pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion on notice should not be granted.
Shaibu and his principal, Godwin Obaseki, have been at loggerheads since the governor failed to declare his support for his deputy to succeed him.
This led to the plot to impeach Shabby.
In a bid to halt the impeachment proceedings against him, Shaibu instituted a suit against the assembly at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Details later….