The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, and the Speaker of the State Home of Meeting, Blessing Agbebaku, have differed over the service of an impeachment discover on the deputy governor.
reporter stories that the Speaker of the Home, Blessing Agbebaku, alleged at plenary on Monday that the deputy governor refused to acknowledge the impeachment discover.
Agbebaku, nevertheless, ordered that the discover needs to be served on the Deputy Governor within the State-Owned Nigeria Observer and different nationwide dailies.
Following the speaker’s directive, the discover was printed on Tuesday within the Nigerian Observer and the Vanguard Newspaper, respectively.
The speaker on the plenary added that the directive to publish the discover in newspapers was to make sure all avenues are explored to adequately serve the impeachment discover and elicit his response inside the seven-day ultimatum given by the Home.
Nevertheless, reacting to the Speaker’s assertion, Shaibu denied being served with an impeachment discover from the State Home of Meeting, as alleged by Speaker Blessing Agbebaku.
Shaibu, in a letter addressed to the speaker titled “RE: SERVICE OF IMPEACHMENT NOTICE,” dated March 12, 2024, urged the Speaker to appropriate the impression created within the minds of the general public that he evaded being served.
The letter, signed by Charles Olubayo, Private Assistant to the Deputy Governor, acknowledged, “No impeachment discover was ever served on the Deputy Governor, not to mention refusing to acknowledge it.
“In keeping with him, the Workplace of the Deputy Governor, Edo State, needs to attract your consideration to the inaccuracies and deceptive info that emanated from the plenary session of Monday, March 11, 2024, whereby Mr. Speaker directed that the impeachment discover be served on the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu via newspaper publications.
“The speaker, who listed the newspapers because the Nigerian Observer and different nationwide dailies, alleged that the directive was a results of the refusal of the Deputy Governor to acknowledge the impeachment discover.
“Mr. Speaker was quoted to have additionally acknowledged on the stated plenary that ‘the motion turned crucial as a result of the Deputy Governor refused to acknowledge an earlier impeachment discover despatched to him via the Clerk of the Home.
“We want to state categorically that no impeachment discover was ever served on the Deputy Governor, not to mention refusing to acknowledge the impeachment discover,” he stated.
Olubayo, who stated that the Deputy Governor had traveled out of Benin to Abuja since March 3, 2024, famous that he was but to return to Benin.
He additionally added that the Clerk of the State Home of Meeting has not seen the Deputy Governor, whether or not within the workplace, at residence, or anyplace, because the date the Home initiated the impeachment course of.
He, nevertheless, expressed shock that the Home resolved to publish the impeachment discover within the newspapers as a result of “the Deputy Governor refused to acknowledge the sooner impeachment discover despatched to him via the Clerk of the Home.
The Private Assistant to the Deputy Governor additionally expressed surprise at the place the Clerk or his appointee served him (Shaibu) the impeachment discover, and he refused to acknowledge it.
“Neither the Clerk nor any individual despatched an impeachment discover to the Deputy Governor which he refused to acknowledge.
“It’s, subsequently, our prayer that Mr. Speaker corrects the impression created within the public as the result of yesterday’s plenary to keep away from misrepresentation on this all-important matter,” he acknowledged.
