The legislators gave him a seven day ultimatum to respond to allegations against him.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – The Edo House of Assembly has served an impeachment notice on the Deputy Governor of the state, Comrade Philip Shaibu.
The state legislature, in its Wednesday, March 6, 2024 sitting, gave him a seven day ultimatum to respond to allegations of perjury and violation of secrecy oath.
Majority leader of the assembly, Hon. Charity Aiguobarueghia, made the announcement in plenary. He said the House was in receipt of a petition signed by 21 of the 24 state legislators against Shuaib dated March 5, 2024.
Speaking further, he said the embattled deputy governor was accused of revealing government secrets in the petition.
Ruling on the matter, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, acknowledged receipt of the petition and instructed the clerk to serve the notice of impeachment on Shuaib, with a seven day period to respond to the allegations.
Shuaib and the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, have been embroiled in a political warfare over the former’s governorship ambition. An ex-member of the House of Representatives, past majority leader of Edo Assembly and former president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Shuaib served as Obaseki’s deputy in his first and second terms, but had a fallout in 2023.
Obaseki is backing Asue Ighodalo, who emerged as the standard bearer of their party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the primary election which held at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, while Shaibu emerged factional candidate at a parallel primary at his official residence on Commercial Avenue in Benin.