By Abiola Olawale
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has declared that the immediate past Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, remains impeached.
Obaseki, in a press statement issued by his Special Adviser on Communications , Crusoe Osagie, also sent a stern warning to Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to guard against attempts by political appointees to loot government properties.
Obaseki said the directive becomes necessary following the decision of Shaibu to inspect several ongoing projects in the state on Monday, September 30.
The Governor maintained that Shaibu remains impeached until the court’s determination and, therefore, lacks the power and authority to issue directives or warnings to any staff employed by the Edo State Government.
The statement reads in part: “Our attention has been drawn to the very ridiculous statement purportedly signed by the impeached deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, in which he warned Permanent Secretaries and Heads of MDAs to guard against the looting of government properties by political appointees.
“We want to restate that Philip Shaibu remains impeached as the Deputy Governor of Edo State until the court’s determination and therefore lacks the power and authority to issue directives or warnings to Permanent Secretaries, Heads of MDAs, or any staff employed by the Edo State Government.
“We urge all Edo workers to disregard the infantile ramblings of the impeached deputy governor and continue with their lawful duties without fear of intimidation or harassment while ensuring the delivery of quality and effective service to the people of Edo State.”
It would be recalled that the Edo State Assembly impeached Shaibu on April 8, 2024, in a culmination of a long political drama with Obaseki.
The impeachment followed the adoption of the report of a seven-man investigative panel set up by the state’s Chief Judge to probe allegations of misconduct against Shaibu.
The retired Justice S. A. Omonuwa-led panel had accused Shaibu of allegedly leaking Edo state government’s secrets in the affidavit he filed in support of his suit in Abuja.
The panel, in its reports, accused Shaibu of violating the Oath of Secrecy he took and acted contrary to the provisions of Schedule 7 of the 1999 Constitution.
However, in July, the Federal High Court in Abuja voided the impeachment of Philip Shaibu as the Deputy Governor of Edo State.
Justice James Omotosho, while delivering judgment in the suit, ordered that Shaibu be reinstated to office because the Edo State House of Assembly failed to comply with due process in impeaching him.
Consequent upon this, the Edo State government approached the Court of Appeal Abuja, asking the court to grant a stay of execution. The case is still pending at the Court of Appeal as no judgment appears to have been delivered by the presiding judge.
