How Shaibu’s quest to stop impeachment led to his ouster

BENIN CITY— ALMOST one year after allegation of a plot to impeach Philip Shaibu first surfaced and he went to court to stop the move, the Edo State House of Assembly, yesterday, impeached Shaibu as deputy governor of the state, a position he held for more than seven years.

At plenary, 18 members of the Assembly voted to impeach Shaibu following the consideration of the report of the seven-man panel set up by the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa. The impeachment is the first time a deputy governor would be sacked by lawmakers in the state.

In attendance at the House sitting were 20 members including the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, while 18 members voted for the impeachment, one member abstained.

Following Shaibu’s ouster, Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa has sworn-in 38-year-old Godwin Omobayo as the new deputy governor, who promised to assist Governor Godwin Obaseki to finish strong in the next seven months.

As Shaibu vowed to fight his ouster, which he described as a descent into dictatorship, mixed reactions trailed the move, yesterday.

How Sahibu was sackedThe Clerk of the House read out Order 10 in the day’s order paper, which was the presentation and consideration of the seven-man panel’s report of allegation of gross misconduct against Shaibu.

Shortly after the Majority Leader of the House, Charity Aiguobarueghan, representing Ovia North East I, moved that the report be considered. His motion was seconded by the Minority Leader, Eric Okaka, Owan East.Thereafter, the Speaker assumed chairmanship of the committee of the whole House to consider the report, after the Majority and Minority Leaders moved and seconded a motion to that effect.

During the presentation of the report, Donald Okogbe, Akoko-Edo II, rose to object to part C of the report but his objection was overruled by the Speaker.

The House thereafter resolved that the allegation of perjury against the deputy governor was not proved but held that the second allegation of disclosure of official secrets was proved.

The Majority Leader further moved that about section 188 sub-section 9 of the Constitution, the report be put to vote. At the end of the voting exercise, 18 members voted in support of the impeachment while one member abstained.In his comment, the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, said more than two-thirds majority of the House voted and endorsed the impeachment.

“I hereby, from my seat, announce that the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, stands impeached,” he gavelled.

My illegal impeachment won’t stand — Shaibu

Reacting to his impeachment, Shaibu, who did not appear before the seven-man panel to defend himself, described his sack as an attack not only on him but also on democratic principles.

His words: “I denounce in the strongest terms the illegal impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly over trumped up charges. This is not just an attack on me as an individual but on the very democratic principles that we hold dear. It is a dangerous descent into dictatorship and a threat to the foundation of our democracy.“

Let it be clear that this impeachment was hatched because of my ambition to contest the Edo State 2024 governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, an ambition that is a legal right to all citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

It is a sad reality that in our political landscape ambition is met with resistance and those in power seek to silence opposition through illegitimate means.

“I have dedicated my life to serving the good people of Edo State with integrity and honesty.“I have worked tirelessly to improve the life of our citizens, I have upheld the values of democracy and justice, yet in return I am faced with baseless accusations and a blank disregard for due process and rule of law.“

The allegations brought against me are nothing more than a smokescreen to conceal the true motive behind this impeachment.“It’s a fragrant abuse of power and a betrayal of the trust that the people of Edo have placed in their elected officials.

“We refuse to stay inactive while our democratic institutions manipulate and exploit for personal gain.“We will fight this injustice with every strength in our vein for the sake of the people of Edo State and the future of democracy.”