Members of the Edo State House of Assembly have initiated impeachment proceedings against the state Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu. The impeachment petition was presented during a plenary session on Wednesday.
The Majority Leader, Charity Aiguobarueghian, disclosed that the petition, signed by 21 out of 24 members, was dated March 5, 2024. This number exceeds the two-thirds requirement stipulated in Section 188 (2a) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The petition, addressed to the Speaker of the House, Blessing Agbebaku, cited undisclosed grounds for the impeachment.
Speaker Agbebaku acknowledged the receipt of the petition and disclosed that it was based on two undisclosed grounds.
The House granted the deputy governor seven days to respond to the petition and directed the clerk of the house, Yahaya Omogbai, to serve the impeachment notice on Shaibu.
Shaibu’s impeachment notice is speculated to be linked to his recent disagreements with Governor Godwin Obaseki, particularly after losing out during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial election primaries in the state. Shaibu had previously alleged a plot to impeach him, attributing it to his governorship ambition.
Notably, Shaibu emerged as the PDP candidate through a parallel primary election conducted at his residence in Benin City, while Asue Ighodalo was declared the winner of another PDP primary held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin.