Almost one year after allegation of a plot to impeach Philip Shaibu first surfaced and he went to court to stop the move, the Edo State House of Assembly, yesterday, impeached Shaibu as deputy governor of the state, a position he held for more than seven years.
At plenary, 18 members of the Assembly voted to impeach Shaibu following the consideration of the report of the seven-man panel set up by the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa. The impeachment is the first time a deputy governor would be sacked by lawmakers in the state.
In attendance at the House sitting were 20 members including the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, while 18 members voted for the impeachment, one member abstained.
Following Shaibu’s ouster, Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa has sworn-in 38-year-old Godwin Omobayo as the new deputy governor, who promised to assist Governor Godwin Obaseki to finish strong in the next seven months.
As Shaibu vowed to fight his ouster, which he described as a descent into dictatorship, mixed reactions trailed the move, yesterday.
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How Sahibu was sacked
The Clerk of the House read out Order 10 in the day’s order paper, which was the presentation and consideration of the seven-man panel’s report of allegation of gross misconduct against Shaibu.
Shortly after the Majority Leader of the House, Charity Aiguobarueghan, representing Ovia North East I, moved that the report be considered. His motion was seconded by the Minority Leader, Eric Okaka, Owan East.
Thereafter, the Speaker assumed chairmanship of the committee of the whole House to consider the report, after the Majority and Minority Leaders moved and seconded a motion to that effect.
During the presentation of the report, Donald Okogbe, Akoko-Edo II, rose to object to part C of the report but his objection was overruled by the Speaker.
The House thereafter resolved that the allegation of perjury against the deputy governor was not proved but held that the second allegation of disclosure of official secrets was proved.
The Majority Leader further moved that about section 188 sub-section 9 of the Constitution, the report be put to vote. At the end of the voting exercise, 18 members voted in support of the impeachment while one member abstained.
In his comment, the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, said more than two-thirds majority of the House voted and endorsed the impeachment.
hereby, from my seat, announce that the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, stands impeached,” he gavelled.
My illegal impeachment won’t stand — Shaibu
Reacting to his impeachment, Shaibu, who did not appear before the seven-man panel to defend himself, described his sack as an attack not only on him but also on democratic principles.
His words: “I denounce in the strongest terms the illegal impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly over trumped up charges. This is not just an attack on me as an individual but on the very democratic principles that we hold dear. It is a dangerous descent into dictatorship and a threat to the foundation of our democracy.
“Let it be clear that this impeachment was hatched because of my ambition to contest the Edo State 2024 governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, an ambition that is a legal right to all citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“It is a sad reality that in our political landscape ambition is met with resistance and those in power seek to silence opposition through illegitimate means.
“I have dedicated my life to serving the good people of Edo State with integrity and honesty.
“I have worked tirelessly to improve the life of our citizens, I have upheld the values of democracy and justice, yet in return I am faced with baseless accusations and a blank disregard for due process and rule of law.
“The allegations brought against me are nothing more than a smokescreen to conceal the true motive behind this impeachment.
“It’s a fragrant abuse of power and a betrayal of the trust that the people of Edo have placed in their elected officials.
“We refuse to stay inactive while our democratic institutions manipulate and exploit for personal gain.
“We will fight this injustice with every strength in our vein for the sake of the people of Edo State and the future of democracy.”
Omobayo sworn in new deputy governor
At exactly 1:30 pm at the Festival Hall, Government House, Benin City, the oath of office was administered on the new deputy governor, Godwins Marvellous Omobayo by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Daniel Okungbowa,
The new deputy governor was accompanied by his wife and numerous traditional rulers from Akoko-Edo Local Government Area.
Why we chose Omobayo as my deputy —Obaseki
Speaking, Governor Obaseki said Omobayo was chosen to provide the needed impetus to rally round all interests and persuasions in Edo to work more closely together in realizing his vision for a “viable, strong and prosperous state that will be the envy of all.”
According to Obaseki: “At 38 years old, the new deputy governor is a symbol of our undying belief in the power of our youth to transform our dear state, bringing vigour and renewed energy to the drive to place young people at the centre of our politics and developmental agenda. He is a man for this season.
I’ll work with Obaseki to finish strong — Dep gov
In his response, the new deputy governor pledged to work with the governor to finish well and strong.
He said: “I am not the best youth to come out from Edo State, this could only have been God. I understand my job description, which is to actually complement the work of the governor. We have a consummate administrator like Governor Obaseki. I have studied his developmental plan over the years very sincerely.
“I have also looked at the master plan of this administration and will surely support him to finish well. I admire his style of administration and I am sure to build on the existing structure in the plan as an engineer.”
It’s an internal matter of the PDP — IPAC
Reacting to the impeachment of Shaibu, the chairman of the Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC, Greg Igbinomwahia, said the development was an internal affair of the party.
CRPP condemns impeachment
On his part, the Chairman of the Coalition of Registered Political Parties, CRPP, Dr Samson Isibor, condemned the impeachment of Shaibu. saying it was unfortunate that Obaseki did not listen to pleas from respected leaders in the state, who had appealed that the impeachment be dropped.
Meet Edo State new dep gov
The new deputy governor is from Lampese in Akoko-Edo LGA. He was the House of Representatives candidate of the Labour Party during the 2023 National Assembly election and claimed to have won the contest while the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared Hon Peter Akpatason the winner.
He challenged the exercise at the tribunal and lost but decided not to pursue the case to the Court of Appeal.
He is a businessman who has employed several young people from the local government area and other parts of the state and has also been involved in philanthropy.
It was gathered that one of the reasons Governor Obaseki chose him was his very high showing in the last election where it was generally believed that he won the election
Omobayo is a seasoned engineer with a proven track record of progressive professional experience in the oil and gas sector.
With a B.Eng degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and MSc in Public Administration from the University of Benin, UNIBEN, he is well suited for the role as a professional and an expert in public administration.
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