Edo assembly serves Philip Shaibu impeachment notice

The Edo house of assembly has asked Yahaya Omogbai, its clerk, to serve Philip Shaibu, deputy governor of the state, with an impeachment notice.

During plenary on Wednesday, Charity Aiguobarueghian, the majority leader, announced the petition, dated March 5, against Shaibu.

Aiguobarueghian said the petition was signed by 21 of 24 members of the state assembly.

He added that the petition was anchored on two grounds of perjury and revealing of government secrets.

Blessing Agbebaku, the speaker, acknowledged receipt of the petition and directed Omogbai to serve Shaibu with the impeachment notice.

The speaker said Shaibu has seven days to respond to the impeachment notice.

On Saturday, Shaibu said he had been receiving impeachment threats over his involvement in the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The deputy governor said he would not be deterred, as contesting the Edo governorship election is his constitutional right.

On February 22, Shaibu was declared winner of a factional governorship primary election that reportedly held at his residence in Benin City, the state capital.

Asue Ighodalo was also announced winner of another PDP primary exercise which took place at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin.

Ighodalo, the preferred candidate of Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, is the flagbearer recognised by the PDP national leadership.

SHAIBU VERSUS OBASEKI

Over the past few months, there has been a rift between Shaibu and Obaseki.

On July 28, 2023, Shaibu approached a federal high court in Abuja with a suit to prevent an alleged impeachment plot against him.

Shaibu asked the court to restrain Obaseki, the speaker of the state assembly, and the chief judge, from “initiating impeachment proceedings or sanctioning any impeachment” against him.

On August 4, 2023, the court restrained Obaseki, the speaker, and other parties in the suit from initiating impeachment moves against Shaibu.

Reacting to the suit, Obaseki alleged that Shaibu wanted to kick him out of office “because of his desperation to succeed him”.

He also said there was no plan to impeach Shaibu.

On September 5, 2023, Shaibu withdrew the suit he filed against Obaseki.