From Moshood Karim
During the plenary session held on Tuesday, the Edo State House of Assembly passed a resolution which instructed the State’s Chief Judge, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, to establish a seven-member committee to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct levelled against the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu. This resolution was reportedly supported by 19 out of the 24 members present during the session.
Before the resolution was passed, the Speaker of the House, Blessing Agbebaku, informed the House that the seven-day deadline given to the Deputy Governor to respond to the impeachment notice had elapsed. The impeachment notice had been served on Shaibu on March 6, 2024, but due to his purported evasion of service, the House ordered that he be served through alternative means. This service was subsequently published in the state-owned newspaper, The Observer, and the Vanguard Newspaper, on March 12, 2024. The notice expired on March 19.
The Majority Leader, Charity Aiguobarueghan, presented a motion citing Section 188, Sub-section 3 and 4 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the basis for this motion. She noted that the failure of the Deputy Governor to respond to the petition at the stipulated time was not a problem as Section 188, Sub-section 3, clearly stated that “whether he responds or not, the House has a duty to perform”.
According to Aiguobarueghan, “That duty was bestowed by Section 188, Sub-section 3 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that a motion be moved, when it will be resolved that if these allegations are not denied, they are worthy of investigation. I am, therefore, moving a motion in pursuant to Section 188, Sub-section 3 and 4 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that is designed not to be argued. That the notice served on the Deputy Governor alleging gross misconduct be sent for investigation and that the Speaker cause the Chief Judge of the state to set up a seven-man committee to look at the allegations and report its findings to this House as soon as possible.”
A voice vote was conducted, and 19 members voted in support of the motion, which was more than two-thirds of members of the House. The Speaker subsequently directed the Chief Judge to set up a seven-man committee to investigate the petition against the Deputy Governor.
This development has generated reactions from different quarters, with some alleging political victimization, while others are of the opinion that the allegations should be thoroughly investigated to ensure accountability and transparency in governance.
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