By Chidiebere Ugwu
In a daring move and barring any last minute change of plan, the governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki is reportedly set to disobey the pronouncement of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, which ruled last Friday that all parties maintain “Status Quo Ante Bellum”, pending the hearing slated for Thursday, 10Th August, 2023.
Hon. Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja issued a temporary order stopping the move by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, to impeach his Deputy, Phillip Shaibu.
Impecable Insider information revealed that in disregard for the temporary order, an impeachment ambush has been set for the early hours of Monday, 7Th August as an affront on the judiciary.
It is said that the haste by the governor comes on the heels of his fear that the hearing adjourned till 10th August by the court may not favour his purported intension, hence the plan to hatch his impeachment process before the hearing date.
Recall that the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Phillip Shuaibu, approached a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to stop the commencement of an impeachment process against him. In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1027/2023, the Inspector General of Police; State Security Service; the Governor of Edo State; the Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, and the Chief Judge of Edo State are the first, second, third, fourth and fifth defendants respectively.
Shaibu is seeking an interlocutory injunction restraining the 3rd, 4th and 5th Defendants/Respondents or their agents from commencing an impeachment process against him.
He also prayed the court to restrain the governor of the state or other person acting on his order from harassing and preventing him from effectively discharging his duties as the deputy governor of the state.
In addition to the temporary order to maintain status quo ante bellum, in another ruling of the court made on July 27th, 2023, the defendants were directed to show cause. Without adherence to the pronouncements of the court, any impeachment process is deemed a fruitless adventure in the eyes of the law.
