Edo State House of Assembly impeaches Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu; Obaseki names Omobayo as replacement
The Edo State House of Assembly has impeached the embattled deputy governor Comrade Philip Shaibu thus ending months of political bickering between him and Governor Obaseki.
He was impeached during the house’s plenary session on Monday at 9:41 a.m through a voting process in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
The Clerk of the House, Yahaya Omogbai, conducted a head count of the lawmakers who voted for and against the impeachment of Shaibu.
18 out of 19 members present supported the impeachment, with one member voting against it while one abstained from the head count and voting process.
Earlier, the findings of a seven-man panel led by Justice Stephen Omonua (Rtd), which was established by the Chief Judge (CJ) of the state, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, had found Shuaibu guilty of the offense of disclosure of official secrets.
During plenary at the assembly complex in Benin City, the Edo State capital, the Majority Leader of the house, Charity Aiguobarueghian, said the report of the seven-man judicial panel of inquiry presented to the house had two findings and one recommendation.
Aiguobarueghian further disclosed that while the report of the panel was unable to establish the case of perjury levelled against the deputy governor, the panel found him guilty of disclosure of government secrets.
According to the report, the seven-man judicial panel of inquiry recommended that the deputy governor be impeached on grounds of disclosure of government secrets.
The move is a culmination of the political impasse between the ex-deputy governor and his former principal Godwin Obaseki.
Meanwhile, Godwin Obaseki, the Edo governor has picked Godwin Omobayo as his deputy hours after Shaibu impeachment. Already, friends and well-wishers have gathered at the Edo State Government House in Benin for his inauguration.
The 38-year-old hails from Akoko Edo Local Government Area of the state. He holds a B.Eng Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and an MSc in Public Administration from the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and is a registered member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
Monday’s impeachment comes as a Federal High Court in Abuja was to resume sitting in the lawsuit filed by Shaibu to challenge the Edo State House of Assembly’s plan to impeach him.
Last week, the Edo House of Assembly started the impeachment proceedings against Shaibu. Twenty-one of the 24 lawmakers signed a petition to that effect.
They accused Shaibu of perjury and disclosure of the state government’s secrets.
Shaibu’s impeachment ends months of tussle between him and Governor Godwin Obaseki over the former’s move to contest the Edo Governorship election.
