Edo State House of Assembly set up a seven-man committee to investigate the embattled deputy governor.
On Tuesday, the Edo State House of Assembly approved a resolution that instructed Justice Daniel Okungbowa, the chief judge of the state, to establish a seven-man committee to conduct an inquiry into the allegations of serious misconduct against Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor.
Nineteen out of twenty-four members of the plenary voted in favour of the resolution.
On March 5, the House of Assembly initiated impeachment proceedings against Shaibu, levelling allegations of perjury and disclosure of classified government information.All attempts to convey the notice of impeachment to him, however, failed because of his purported absence from the state.
Charity Aiguobarueghan, the House Majority Leader, supported this motion by requesting the chief judge to appoint a seven-member committee to examine the petition against the deputy governor. The member representing Ikpoba Okha constituency, Nicholas Asonsere, backed the motion.According to Aiguobarueghan, the motion was in accordance with subsections 3 and 4 of Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
It was observed that the deputy governor’s non-compliance with the petition within the designated timeframe was also consistent with subsection 3 of Section 188, which explicitly states that “the House is obligated to carry out its duties regardless of his response.”
“In accordance with Section 188, Subsection 3 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is that responsibility to propose a motion once it has been determined that these allegations merit investigation even if they are not refuted.”Therefore, I am proposing a motion in compliance with Subsections 3 and 4 of Section 188 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution, not meant for discussion.It is believed that the impeachment motion represents the most recent development in the rift between Shaibu and Governor Godwin Obaseki, his principal.
By Nnaemeka Odenigbo
