Philip Shaibu Serves Originating Summons to Obaseki and House of Assembly

• Edo Deputy Governor serves Governor Obaseki and Assembly with court summons to halt impeachment proceedings against him
• Federal High Court rejects oral application to halt impeachment, grants request to serve court papers on principal actors

Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu took steps to halt the impeachment proceedings against him by serving Governor Godwin Obaseki and the House of Assembly with originating summons.

This action follows a decision by the Federal High Court in Abuja to reject a request to halt the impeachment process initiated by the Edo State House of Assembly against Shaibu. Justice James Omotosho declined an oral application by Shaibu’s lawyer, Prof. Olawoyin Awoyale, SAN, citing the lack of service of the originating summons to the principal actors.

Consequently, the judge granted Shaibu’s request to serve the court papers on Obaseki and the State House of Assembly through substituted means.

The impeachment proceedings against Shaibu began on March 5, with allegations of perjury and leaking government secrets levelled against him by the House of Assembly.

A source close to the deputy governor confirmed that the originating summons had been served on the governor and the House of Assembly, expressing hope that this would allow Shaibu to address the impeachment threat.

However, a Government House source refuted claims that the bailiff was obstructed from posting the summons at the Government House gate, dismissing such assertions as unfounded.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Philip Shaibu Campaign Organizations, Sunny Okomayin, urged Governor Obaseki and the House of Assembly to exercise patience, noting that the case challenging the impeachment had been scheduled for April 15.

Okomayin further called on the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party to intervene and restore order within the party in the state. He expressed concerns about the rushed manner in which the impeachment process was conducted, questioning the integrity of democracy under Obaseki’s administration.