Philip Shaibu

Edo State deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, on Tuesday denied being served with impeachment notice from the state House of Assembly as alleged by the Edo Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku.

Last week, the House began impeachment proceedings against Shaibu, accusing him of perjury and leaking of government’s secrets. The impeachment notice is believed to be the latest development in the rift between Shaibu and his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki.

In a letter addressed to the Speaker, yesterday and signed by Charles Olubayo,
Personal Assistant to the deputy governor, chided the Speaker, Agbebaku, for saying that the deputy governor refused to acknowledge the impeachment notice.

The letter reads, “The Office of the Deputy Governor, Edo State, wishes to draw your attention to the inaccuracies and misleading information that emanated from the plenary session of Monday, March 11, wherein Mr. Speaker directed that the impeachment notice be served on the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, through newspaper publications, The Nigeria Observer and other national dailies, ‘sequel to the refusal of the Deputy Governor to acknowledge the impeachment notice.’

“We wish to state categorically that: No impeachment notice was ever served on the Deputy Governor let alone refusing to acknowledge the notice.”

“ The Deputy Governor has since March 3, 2024 travelled out of Benin to Abuja and has not returned to Benin since the said March 3, 2024.

“ The Clerk never saw the Deputy Governor whether in the Office, at Home or anywhere for that matter since the said date; hence surprised that the House resolved to publish the impeachment notice in the Observer and other National dailies because “the Deputy Governor refused to acknowledge the earlier impeachment notice sent to him through the Clerk of the House”. One therefore wonders where the Clerk or his appointee served him the impeachment notice and he refused to acknowledge it.

“ That neither the Clerk nor any person sent impeachment notice to the Deputy Governor which he refused to acknowledge.

“It is therefore our prayer that Mr. Speaker corrects the impression created in the public as the outcome of yesterday’s plenary to avoid misrepresentation in this all-important matter.”

Meanwhile, The Parish Priest of St. Francis Catholic Church, Benin, Rev. Fr. Andrew Obinyan has appealed to Governor Godwin Obaseki over the impeachment notice served on his deputy, Philip Shaibu.

The state House of Assembly had on Wednesday, March 6, commenced impeachment proceedings against the deputy governor over alleged perjury and disclosure of government secrets.

In a statement in Benin, Fr. Obinyan appealed to the governor to leave his deputy alone to deal with his issues and resolve them without initiating impeachment.

The priest also pleaded with Obaseki to prevail on the state House of Assembly to discontinue the impeachment process.

“Honourable Members must ensure that legislation prohibits any move that bears the semblance of retaliation.

“I entreat you because I regard you as a civilised and enlightened man. May it not be in the annals of Edo political history that there was once a Deputy Governor, impeached under your watch for his aspiration.

“It will be perceived as a sting of betrayal and it will invariably redefine loyalty and aspiration as antithetical.

“Please, do not get me wrong because this is far more polite than you can imagine. This is the kernel of my entreaty,” Obinyan appealed.

Speaking further, the Catholic Priest noted that reconciliation was always a prosperous option and urged the governor to listen to his kind heart.

He said “I am not insinuating he must be governor. Yet, we cannot justify an impeachment without putting a wedge on the path of positive advancement in other spheres of life.

“Do yourselves a favour because you don’t know the next victim in sudden political twists and turns.

“Dear Mr Governor, here is the point, bear with Comrade Philip