Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku has debunked reports in some quarters that the state House of Assembly is planning to impeach the deputy governor of Edo state, Philip Shaibu.
There are fears that the state government would move against Shaibu this week barring last minute change of plan despite the pronouncement of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, which ruled last Friday that all parties maintain “Status Quo Ante Bellum”, pending the hearing slated for Thursday, 10Th August, 2023.
Recall that Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja issued a temporary order stopping the move by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, to impeach Shaibu.
READ ALSO: Why Obaseki refuses to endorse Shaibu as successor
Shaibu approached a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to stop the commencement of an impeachment process against him.
The deputy governor is battling perceived impeachment moves against him. The apprehension is over whether or not the lawmakers will embark on the purported impeachment plot of the deputy governor despite the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court directive of maintaining “status quo ante bellum” pending the determination of the suit filed by Shaibu to stop the alleged plot to remove him.
However, Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mr. Blessing Agbebaku, said though the matter is in court, he cannot say much on the issue, adding there is no plan to impeach the deputy governor.
“I don’t want to talk about it because the case is in court but there is no plan like that. There is no iota of truth about this issue of impeachment and the governor has no such plans because if there is anything like that, won’t I know? People are just carrying rumours.”
Nevertheless, some lawmakers are not happy with Shaibu over his court action. “The deputy governor going to court is, on its own, impeachable”, a principal officer said.
Continuing, he said “When you see the contents of the court documents, they are all speculative and breaches of the oath of secrecy he swore to when he was inaugurated.
“There is no plan like that at all. It was shocking to us when we got the court papers. Going through the papers, the content is enough to even commence impeachment but there is nothing like that” he said.
The camp of Shaibu has decided to remain silent so as not to aggravate the crisis. Contacted, a close ally of the deputy governor said: “We don’t want to aggravate the issue because the situation is delicate.”
READ ALSO: Shaibu battles Obaseki over impeachment plot
Contrary to speculations that Shaibu ran away from the state, his aides said he has been in the United States of America, USA, to attend the annual Afemai World Congress, AWC, and he is expected back in Nigeria on Sunday and “we are expecting him to resume today (Monday).
“So we don’t know what is going to happen when he resumes based on the fact that we have heard that they are going to lock his office,” one of them said.
Shaibu has been consulting within Edo, Nigeria and in the Diaspora about his ambition to succeed his boss in 2024. However, Shaibu’s ambition did not get the blessing of his Obasekil even though he told the governor he was still consulting.
From the governor’s end, his supporters claimed that he had concluded that the governorship would not be zoned to Edo North where immediate past governor and Senator, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Shaibu hail from.
Obaseki seems to be favouring Edo Central Senatorial District and analysts also argued that if by any chance it goes to Edo North, it should not be Etsako West where Oshiomhole and Shaibu come from.
Etsako East, Etsako Central, Owan West, Owan East and Akoko-Edo are the other local government areas that make up Edo North Senatorial District.