With two days to the deadline given to the Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, there are strong indications that he will not respond to the impeachment notice served on him by the House of Assembly via substitution.
The House of Assembly commenced impeachment proceedings against Shaibu on March 5, accusing him of perjury and leaking government’s secrets.
However, all efforts to get the impeachment notice to him proved abortive as he was said to be out of the state.
After it became clear that the notice could not be served by Shaibu physically, the House of Assembly served him the notice on Monday through substitution (by publishing the letter in three national dailies).
The impeachment move is believed to be the latest development in the rift between Shaibu and his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki.
A political ally of the deputy governor who pleaded anonymity said on Friday that the steps taken so far by the House of Assembly in their quest to oust Shaibu were improper, wondering why they were desperate to carry out the impeachment.
The ally said, “There are steps the House must take for a proper impeachment to take place. Have they taken all these steps?
“Also, the law does not permit substituted serving of impeachment notice; the person should be served physically. That is what the law says, not me. The law does not permit substituted service.
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However, Speaking on Friday, the Majority Leader in the House of Assembly, Charity Aiguobarueghian, who announced the impeachment notice at plenary on March 5, said all the steps taken were constitutional, adding that the impeachment panel would be set up next week.
He said, “We have not directed the Chief Judge to constitute a panel that will deliberate on the impeachment of the deputy governor. We served him the notice by substitution on Monday and after seven days, which is next week, we will tell the Chief Judge to constitute the panel.
“It doesn’t matter if the deputy governor replies to the letter that was served through substitution or not, that will not stop the panel from being constituted and looking into the matter. What we are doing is our constitutional function and we have not gone out of the job the constitution expects us to carry out.”
When asked if he thought a political solution was still possible, he said, “We do not know whether a political solution is being looked at to solve the situation. Even if it is so, it doesn’t stop us from continuing with the impeachment process.
“It is the man who is embattled that will know if he needs a political solution to solve the issue. As for the House, we will carry out our constitutional function,” he added.
Meanwhile, a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Aisosa Amadasun, on Friday appealed to Governor Obaseki and the state House of Assembly to withdraw the impeachment notice purportedly served on the deputy governor.