The political landscape of Edo State underwent a seismic shift on Monday as embattled Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu was impeached by the state’s House of Assembly, marking the culmination of a protracted power struggle between him and Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The impeachment proceedings unfolded during a plenary session held in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, following months of strained relations between Obaseki and Shaibu.
The decision to impeach Shaibu stemmed from allegations of misconduct investigated by a seven-man committee appointed by the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa.
Addressing the assembly, Majority Leader Charity Aiguobarueghian revealed that the committee’s report found Shaibu guilty of disclosing government secrets, although it failed to establish allegations of perjury against him. Consequently, the committee recommended Shaibu’s impeachment on grounds of breaching confidentiality.
In a show of legislative consensus, 18 out of 19 members present at the plenary voted in favor of Shaibu’s impeachment, with one abstention recorded during the head count and voting process.
The Clerk of the House, Yahaya Omogbai, confirmed that the impeachment decision garnered the requisite two-thirds majority support from the assembly.
Following the impeachment, Speaker Agbebaku instructed Omogbai to furnish Governor Godwin Obaseki with copies of the impeachment for his assent, marking the formalization of Shaibu’s removal from office.
Monday’s impeachment unfolded concurrently with the resumption of proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Shaibu had filed a lawsuit challenging the Edo State House of Assembly’s impeachment plans against 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.
Obaseki, Shaibu Battle For Supremacy
Yensions escalated amidst Shaibu’s aspirations to contest the upcoming Edo State governorship election, with Obaseki accusing him of orchestrating a “coup” to undermine his leadership.
The rift deepened as Shaibu contested the PDP governorship primary and declared himself the winner in a parallel election, exacerbating the already fraught relationship between the two political figures.
