On Tuesday, the workplace of the Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, denied that an impeachment discovery had been served on the deputy governor by the state Home of Meeting.
It denied the lawmakers’ Monday allegation that Shaibu was evading service, which resulted in the lawmakers’ determination to publish the impeachment discovery in a daily newspaper.
The state Meeting last Wednesday commenced impeachment proceedings against Shaibu, accusing him of perjury and leaking the federal government’s secrets and techniques.
The impeachment transfer is believed to be the newest improvement within the rift between Shaibu and his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki.
There had been an uneasy calm between the deputy governor and his principal since last year when Shaibu declared his curiosity about this year’s Edo governorship race.
The Meeting directed its Clerk to serve Shaibu with the impeachment discovery, saying he had seven days to reply.
Nonetheless, the Meeting on Monday alleged that the Deputy Governor was evading service and subsequently determined to serve him by substitute means via a newspaper publication.
Nonetheless, the deputy governor’s workplace denied the declaration by the Meeting.
In a letter dated March 12, addressed to the Home of Meeting, Shaibu’s Private Assistant, Charles Olubayo, chided the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, over the allegation of evading impeachment.
Olubayo stated, “The Workplace of the Deputy Governor, Edo State, needs to attract your consideration to the inaccuracies and deceptive data that emanated from the plenary session of Monday, March 11, 2024, whereby Mr. Speaker directed that the impeachment discovery be served on the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, via newspaper publications, The Nigeria Observer, and different nationwide dailies, ‘sequel to the refusal of the Deputy Governor to acknowledge the impeachment discover’.
“Mr Speaker was quoted to have additionally acknowledged on the stated plenary that ‘The motion turned needed as a result of the Deputy Governor refusing to recognise an earlier impeachment discovered and dispatched to him via the Clerk of the Home.
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“The Deputy Governor has been travelling out of Benin to Abuja since March 3, 2024, and has not returned to Benin because of the stated March 3, 2024.
“The Clerk has never seen the Deputy Governor, whether in the Workplace, at home, or anywhere else for that matter, since the stated date; therefore, we’re stunned that the Home resolved to publish the impeachment discovery in the Observer and other nationwide dailies.
“Subsequently, one wonders where the Clerk or his appointee served him the impeachment, and he refused to acknowledge it.
“Neither the Clerk nor any particular person despatched an impeachment discovery to the Deputy Governor, which he refused to acknowledge.
“It’s subsequently our prayer that Mr. Speaker corrects the impression created within the public as a result of Monday’s plenary to avoid misrepresenting this all-important matter.”
In the meantime, on Tuesday, the Catholic Legal professionals and six different teams within the Catholic Church joined the decision of the Meeting to drop the impeachment proceedings in opposition to Shaibu.
The teams offered a joint letter to the Home Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, describing the transfer to question Shaibu as “disrespect in the direction of our Archbishop and the intervention of different revered spiritual and conventional leaders within the state.”
The seven teams are Catholic Motion Nigeria, Catholic Legal Professionals, Catholic Males Organisation of Nigeria, Catholic Ladies Organisation of Nigeria, Catholic Youth Organisation of Nigeria, Catholic Ladies Organisation of Nigeria, and Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria.
Presenting the letter to the Speaker, Agbebaku, in the presence of some principal officers of the Home, Steve Apologun, the Benin Provincial President of the CMO, stated there was a necessity for peace within the state ahead of the September 21 governorship election.
In their letter, the teams urged the Edo lawmakers to take cognizance of how spiritual leaders, led by the Archbishop of Benin Metropolis, Most Rev. Augustine Akubeze, prevailed upon Shaibu last year to withdraw all courtroom cases he filed to cease his anticipated impeachment.
They appealed for warning “to make sure that your legislative duties are usually not perceived as a political witch-hunt in opposition to the deputy governor attributable to his political disagreement with the governor.”
“We call for a cautious approach to this matter, concentrating on dialogue and peace rather than creating additional stress within the state.
“We wish to draw your consideration to the truth that our Chief Shepherd, His Grace, Most Revd Dr Augustine Akubeze, Catholic Archbishop of Benin Metropolis, has tirelessly laboured to sell peace and reconciliation between His Excellency, the Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu.
“As part of the reconciliation course initiated by our Archbishop, there was a mutual settlement for the deputy governor to withdraw the authorized motion that sought to halt the preliminary alleged impeachment course.
“As Catholic lay trustworthy and eligible voters, we’re saddened by the present impeachment course, which is perceived by the general public as a political witch-hunt. This notion displays disrespect in the direction of our Archbishop and the intervention of different revered spiritual and conventional leaders within the state.
“Subsequently, we humbly request your intervention and alignment with the peace course initiated by our Archbishop and different revered leaders inside and outside the state.
“As leaders, our dedication lies in selling peaceable coexistence and good governance. As soon as once more, we guarantee you and the well-meaning residents of Edo State that we’ll fulfil our accountability within the upcoming gubernatorial election to coach, sensitise, and mobilise our trustworthy and different voters in Edo State on the significance of figuring out fascinating qualities in potential candidates and the necessity to help anybody discovered with integrity and the power to ship on their guarantees, no matter political, tribal, and non-secular affiliations.”
Responding, the Speaker stated he was solely a servant chief to the other 23 members of the Home and couldn’t make any decisions alone.
“Sure I’m the pinnacle of this parliament, we’re 24 in quantity, I’m a servant to all of them. It’s the determination they take that I’ll comply with,” the Speaker stated.
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