Impeachment Dispute: Edo Deputy Governor and Assembly Speaker Clash Over Notice

In a development highlighting growing tensions, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, have found themselves at odds regarding the service of an impeachment notice on the deputy governor.

During a plenary session on Monday, Speaker Blessing Agbebaku claimed that the deputy governor had refused to acknowledge the impeachment notice.

Consequently, the Speaker ordered that the notice be published in the State-Owned Nigeria Observer and other national dailies.

In compliance with the Speaker’s directive, the impeachment notice was published on Tuesday in the Nigerian Observer and the Vanguard Newspaper.

Agbebaku justified the publication, stating it was to ensure all avenues were explored to serve the impeachment notice and receive a response within the seven-day ultimatum given by the House.

However, Shaibu, in a letter dated March 12, 2024, addressed to the speaker, titled “RE: SERVICE OF IMPEACHMENT NOTICE,” denied ever receiving an impeachment notice from the State House of Assembly.

The letter, signed by Charles Olubayo, the Deputy Governor’s Personal Assistant, stated, “No impeachment notice was ever served on the Deputy Governor, let alone refusing to acknowledge it.”

Olubayo further explained that Shaibu had been in Abuja since March 3, 2024, and had not returned to Benin.

He also clarified that the Clerk of the State House of Assembly had not seen the Deputy Governor since the impeachment process began.

The Deputy Governor’s office expressed surprise at the decision to publish the impeachment notice in newspapers, claiming that neither the Clerk nor anyone else had attempted to serve Shaibu an impeachment notice.

The office urged the Speaker to correct the public’s impression, emphasizing the importance of accurate representation in this matter.