IMPEACHMENT: Shaibu Did Not Win At Appeal Court – EDHA Majority Leader

…Explains what transpired

By Simeon OSAJIE

A Court of Appeal ruling upholding the decision to quash the impeachment of embattled Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has sparked controversy.

The court, on Tuesday, affirmed the Federal High Court’s verdict, voiding Shaibu’s impeachment for lack of fair hearing and set aside the appointment of Omobayo Godwins Marvellous as the new Deputy Governor.

However, the Majority Leader of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Charity Aiguobarueghian, has denied the report, describing it as “false and misleading.”

Aiguobarueghian clarified that the Court of Appeal ruling was on an interlocutory appeal, not the substantive suit, and that the appeal processes have just commenced.

He said, “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 Shiabu should be used instead deputy governor of Edo State, he also asked that the case should be converted from originating summons to 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 now declared him winner in the later suit that was filed in his name and 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”