Edo State’s Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has refuted claims of receiving an impeachment notice from the state House of Assembly, dismissing assertions made by the Speaker, Hon. Blessing Agbebaku.
During the plenary session on Monday, the Speaker mentioned the inability to physically serve Shaibu, leading to a decision for substituted service through a newspaper advertorial.
In response, a letter addressed to the speaker, Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, Edo State House of Assembly and dated 12th March, 2024 and titled, “RE: SERVICE OF IMPEACHMENT NOTICE,” signed by the Personal Assistant to the deputy governor, Charles Olubayo, emphasized Shaibu’s absence from the state since March 3rd, thereby making it impossible for him to have received any notice as claimed.
The letter highlighted discrepancies in the Speaker’s statement, stating that no impeachment notice was ever served on the Deputy Governor, let alone refused.
According to Shaibu’s office, the Deputy Governor has been in Abuja since March 3rd and has not returned to Benin, the state capital. Additionally, they stated that neither the Clerk nor any other individual had served Shaibu with an impeachment notice that he allegedly refused to acknowledge.
He stated, “The Office of the Deputy Governor, Edo State wishes to draw your attention to the inaccuracies and misleading information that emanated from the plenary session of Monday, March 11, 2024, wherein Mr. Speaker directed that the impeachment notice be served on the deputy governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu through newspaper publications The Nigeria Observer and other national dailies, “sequel to the refusal of the deputy governor to acknowledge the impeachment notice”.
“Mr. speaker was quoted to have also stated at the said plenary that ‘the action became necessary because the deputy governor refused to acknowledge an earlier impeachment notice sent to him through the clerk of the House.’
“We wish to state categorically that: No impeachment notice was ever served on the Deputy Governor let alone refusing to acknowledge the impeachment notice.
“The deputy governor has since March 3, 2024 travelled out of Benin to Abuja and has not returned to Benin since the said March 3, 2024.
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“The clerk never saw the deputy governor whether in the office, at home or anywhere for that matter since the said date; hence surprised that the House resolved to publish the impeachment notice in the Observer and other national dailies because ‘the deputy governor refused to acknowledge the earlier impeachment notice sent to him through the clerk of the House.’ One therefore wonders where the clerk or his appointee served him the impeachment notice and he refused to acknowledge it.
“That neither the Clerk nor any person sent impeachment notice to the Deputy Governor which he refused to acknowledge.
“It is therefore our prayer that Mr. Speaker corrects the impression created in the public as the outcome of yesterday’s plenary to avoid misrepresentation in this all-important matter,” he added.
