In response to the Edo State House of Assembly’s move to impeach Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu, Chief Judge Justice Daniel Okungbowa has formed a seven-member panel to probe the allegations leveled against him. This panel, constituted in accordance with Section 188(5) of the 1999 Constitution, signifies a crucial step in the impeachment process initiated by the assembly.
The panel, announced via a statement endorsed by the Chief Registrar of the Edo State High Court, B. O. Osawaru, is chaired by retired Justice S.A. Omonua. Other members include Professor Violet Aigbokhaebo, Professor Boniface Onomion Edegbai, Professor Theresa Akpoghome, Oghogho Ayodele Oviasu, Andrew Oliha, and Idris Abdulkareen.
The assembly’s directive to the Chief Judge to constitute the panel followed a resolution passed on March 19, 2024, by 19 out of 24 members. However, Deputy Governor Shaibu sought legal recourse by filing an ex-parte motion at an Abuja Federal High Court, seeking to halt further action on the impeachment process pending the court’s determination of the substantive matter.
In the motion, filed on March 18, Shaibu, represented by his lawyer Prof Oladoyin Awoyale, named several parties, including the Edo State Government, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, the Clerk of the Assembly, the Director General of the Department of State Security, and the Inspector General of Police. Despite the deputy governor’s request for an injunction, the court opted to serve all parties by substituted means and scheduled the substantive matter for April 15, 2024.