Court dashes Shaibu’s hope, rejects bid to stop impeachment

A Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected an ex-parte plea filed by Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu seeking an interim order to halt the state House of Assembly’s impeachment proceedings.

The state government, the state governor, the state House of Assembly, the state House of Assembly Speaker, the Clerk, the state Chief Judge, the Inspector General of Police, and the Director General of the Department of State Services were listed as the first eight defendants in the FHC/ABJ/CS/321/2024 motion.

Shaibu sought an injunction from the court prohibiting the third to fifth defendants from initiating any procedure by issuing a notice of allegation, holding proceedings, or forming any panel of investigation for his removal pending the hearing of a move on notice.

Shaibu also sought an interim injunction restraining the defendants, either directly or through their agents, from interfering with the subject matter of the originating summons filed in the suit by taking any adverse actions regarding any attempt or process aimed at his removal from office as deputy governor pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

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Other reliefs sought are “an order of interim injunction restraining the 1st–8th defendants, whether by themselves, their agents, privies, servants, officials, representatives, and/or any other person or authority acting through them, from preventing the plaintiff either by threat of removal from office or adverse actions capable of hindering the plaintiff from performing his official duties and discharging his responsibilities as the Deputy Governor of Edo State, including attending State Executive Council meetings and functions and other duties.

“An order of interim injunction directing the defendants herein jointly, whether by themselves, their agents, privies, servants, officials, representatives, and/or any other person or authority acting through them, to maintain status quo ante bellum prevailing before the issuance of the purported notice or petition to commence removal of the plaintiff from office pending the hearing and the final determination of the Motion on Notice.”

However, in a ruling dated March 13, which our correspondent obtained on Tuesday, the trial judge, Justice James Omotosho, denied the deputy governor’s petitions.

It read, “That the motion exemptee for interim injunction dated and filed on the on the 8th day of March 2024 is hereby refused.”

Meanwhile, at Tuesday’s hearings, the court scheduled a hearing for Wednesday in another ex-parte motion filed by the plaintiff seeking substituted service on the defendants due to his inability to serve them.