Impeachment Saga: Shaibu Shuns Edo Assembly’s Notice, Lawmakers Fume, Takes Fresh Action

• The deputy governor of Edo state, Philip Shaibu, has ignored the moves made by the state's House of Assembly to remove him from office
• The Edo state lawmakers said they would serve Shaibu’s impeachment notice by substitution
• Shaibu's problem started after he declared his governorship ambition and joined the race to emerge as Edo's next governor, despite Governor Obaseki's disapproval

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Edo state, Benin-City - On Monday, March 11, the impeachment saga of the deputy governor of Edo state, Philip Shaibu, continues as the state House of Assembly said it will resort to substituted service to serve the impeachment notice.

As reported by The Punch, the speaker of the Edo state House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, made this announcement during plenary on Monday.

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Impeachment saga: Edo Assembly begins moves to probe allegations against Obaseki’s deputy, Shaibu

According to the lawmaker, Shaibu has refused to acknowledge the impeachment notice sent to him from the court through the DHL courier service, The Cable reported.

Agbebaku said the impeachment notice to the deputy governor will now be served through a publication in the national dailies, Channels TV reported.

The speaker said:

“He was asked to be served and respond back to this house within seven days. The report that just got in by DHL is that he refused to acknowlege our service.

“By the powers vested in me by the members of this house, I hereby ask that the service be published on The Observer.

“The service should also be put on national dailies, not only on The Observer.”

Why Edo Assembly wants to impeach Obaseki's deputy

Meanwhile, the Edo state House of Assembly commenced proceedings to impeach Shaibu. The assembly accused the state’s deputy governor of leaking government secrets. The lawmakers said this informed its impeachment process against him.

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Legit.ng reported that Edo has been witnessing a political crisis since 2023 after Shaibu fell out with the governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki.

The deputy governor is in the September 2024 governorship election race in the state despite facing strong opposition from Governor Obaseki, who appears to prefer another person as his successor.

Edo speaker explains reduction in Shaibu’s budget

Legit.ng earlier reported that the speaker of Edo state house of assembly explained the reason there was a reduction in the 2024 budget of Shaibu.

Agbebaku said that N354 million was allocated to Shaibu because he has no work to do in 2024.

Source: Legit.ng