In a daring move and barring any last-minute change of plan, the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki is set to disobey the pronouncement of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, which ruled that all parties maintain “Status Quo Ante Bellum”, pending the hearing slated for Thursday, 10th August, 2023.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja had issued a temporary order stopping the move by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, to impeach his Deputy, Phillip Shaibu.
Insider information pointed to the governor’s proclivity to act in disregard for the temporary order.
He is said to be planning an impeachment ambush for early hours of Monday, 7th August as an affront on the judiciary.
THE CONCLAVE reports that governor is said to be in a haste to push out his deputy.
The haste by the governor comes on the heels of his fears that the hearing adjourned till 10th August by the court might not favour his purported intention.
Consequently, he had planned to hatch his impeachment process and activate the same before the hearing date.
Recall that the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Phillip Shuaibu, had 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 had 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.
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