Impeachment: Court to hear Shaibu’s suit against Edo assembly April 19

A federal high court in Abuja has fixed April 19 to hear a suit filed by Philip Shaibu, former deputy governor of Edo, against the state house of assembly and others.

Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, fixed the date on Friday after listening to the lawyers involved.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/405/24, was scheduled for Thursday but could not go on because of the public holiday.

Shaibu was impeached on Monday by the Edo state house of assembly.

The impeachment followed the adoption of the report of a seven-man investigative panel.

The panel was set up by Daniel Okungbowa, chief judge of Edo state, and was headed by S. A. Omonuwa, a retired justice.

The suit filed on March 27 was to stop the process of Shaibu’s removal from office.

The inspector-general of police (IGP) and the Department of State Services (SS) are the 1st and 2nd respondents in the suit.

Others in the suit include Theresa Akpoghome, President Aigbokhian, Oghogho Ayodele Oviasu, Omonua, Okungbowa and the Edo state house of assembly.

In the suit filed by O.A. Gbadamosi, lawyer to Shaibu, the former deputy governor wants the court to declare that the Edo assembly failed to give him a fair hearing in the impeachment proceedings in gross violation of his fundamental right.

He sought a declaration that the failure of the 8th respondent (assembly) to serve the purported impeachment notice on him personally and on each member of the house of assembly, in line with section 188(2) of the 1999 Constitution is a violation of his right to fair hearing.

Shaibu also said the allegations contained in a purported impeachment are tainted by bias.

He sought an order directing the respondents not to take any further steps in violating his fundamental right to a fair hearing, guaranteed by section 36 of the 1999 Constitution.