By Ayo Kehinde
The Edo State House of Assembly has described as fake news, reports that the Court of Appeal, Abuja, has nullified the impeachment of Philip Shaibu as deputy governor of the State.
According to reports, a three-member panel of Justices of the appellate court held in a unanimous judgement on Tuesday, that Shaibu remains Edo State deputy governor.
However, Majority Leader of the Edo State House of Assembly, Charity Aiguobarueghian, described the reports as false and misleading.
Aiguobarueghian explained that “There was a suit instituted by Shaibu during the impeachment process to stop it, the case was before Justice Egwuatu. While the matter was ongoing, he was impeached and the new deputy governor applied to strike out the case that as deputy governor, he is not interested in pursuing a case.
“Philip Shaibu went and filed a motion asking that his name as Philip Shaibu should be used instead of deputy governor of Edo State. He also asked that the case should be converted from originating summons to a writ of summons. The court granted both applications. So, it was that motion that the court granted that we went to the Court of Appeal for, it was an interlocutory appeal. We went to the Court of Appeal to challenge that order changing the name to Philip Shaibu.
“While all these were going on, he filed another suit in his own name and that suit was taken to the court of Justice Omotosho and Justice Omotosho, on the 17th of July, declared him winner in the later suit that was filed in his name and the Edo State House of Assembly filed an appeal against that judgment. The Attorney General of Edo State also filed another appeal against that judgment.
“All three appeals came up today (Tuesday) and we now withdrew the interlocutory appeal against Justice Egwuatu’s ruling. It is that ruling that he is now saying he won. Meanwhile, that ruling did not declare him the deputy governor.
“Against that substantive suit that Justice Omotosho declared him winner, the appeal processes were served on him in court today and he has five days to reply and we were given another five days to reply to his response. That is when the suit will now be taken and a decision will not be taken. The decision has not been taken on the impeachment case.”
