‘Rumour from the pit of hell’ — Edo speaker denies impeachment plot against Shaibu

Blessing Agbebaku, speaker of the Edo house of assembly has denied the alleged impeachment plot against Philip Shaibu, deputy governor of the state.

Speaking during a meeting with Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo state, on Friday, Agbebaku said the alleged impeachment plot is “a rumour from the pit of hell”.

Agbebaku said Obaseki has not called him to discuss any form of impeachment moves against his deputy.

The speaker said he also spoke to Shaibu to ignore impeachment rumours against him.

“Today, I want the Edo people to know that there was nothing of such (alleged impeachment plot),” he said.

“I am the presiding officer of the house of assembly, I control the gavel. The gavel is like the AK-47 of the house.

“There was no time that the governor has called me to say, ‘there must be an impeachment against the deputy governor’. I think that is a rumour from the pit of hell.

“When I approached the governor, he asked me, ‘what is the impeachment for? What has the deputy governor done that he wants to impeach him?’ There is nothing like that.

“On my own, I also called the deputy governor to say, ‘these are rumours. Please, disassociate yourself from this kind of rumour. The governor has no such plan.”

BACKGROUND

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

In the suit, the inspector-general of police, state security service, governor of Edo, speaker, and chief judge of Edo state, were listed as first to fifth defendants, respectively.

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

Shaibu accused the governor of preventing him from performing his constitutional duties.

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

Some days later, the court restated that parties in a suit filed by Shaibu should maintain the status quo, pending the next hearing date.