The seven-man panel set up by the Edo State Chief Judge, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, has given the State deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, Friday as deadline to appear before the panel to defend himself against allegations of gross misconduct and show cause why he should not be impeached.
It was learnt that since the panel began sitting, the deputy governor has failed to appear arguing the case was in court.
The panel resumed sitting on Thursday expecting the deputy governor and his defence team to appear to defend himself.
However, he was absent.
Consequently, the chairman of the panel, Justice S. A Omonuwa (retd.), urged members of the panel to exercise patience to see if he would make an appearance to enter his defence.
However, after some hours of Shaibu’s non-appearance, Justice Omonuwa called the plaintiff, the Edo State House of Assembly, to initiate the impeachment process.
The Legal Officer in the Edo State House of Assembly, N.U. Ibrahim also announced his appearance at the Assembly alongside two others.
Justice Omonuwa then ruled that the panel would still give the deputy governor one more chance to appear to defend himself and adjourned the sitting to Friday, March 5.
Justice Omonuwa announced, “The panel is adjourned for the last time to April 5, 2024, at noon, to allow the defendant to present his defence.”
It was reported that at the inaugural sitting of the panel on Wednesday, counsel to Shaibu, Prof Oladoyin Awoyale (SAN), had argued he and the defendant would not attend the impeachment sitting to obey the order of an Abuja Federal High Court.
The court had asked all parties to appear before it to show cause why it should not grant the enforcement of fundamental human rights prayer Shaibu tabled before it.
Awoyale (SAN) had argued the panel should suspend sitting since the court asked all parties to come before it on Monday, April 8, 2024.
But the panel overruled his submission and upheld the argument of the counsel for the House of Assembly, Joe Ohiafi, arguing that no court stopped the assembly or panel from carrying out its constitutional duties.
The panel allowed Ohiafi to open the case for the state assembly.
The counsel for the plaintiff argued that the constitution empowers only the state house of assembly to determine what constitutes gross misconduct.
He closed his argument that Shaibu breached his oath of office by attaching documents relating to the Edo State Executive Council to the case he filed in the Abuja Federal High Court.