Political parties advise against impeaching Edo deputy governor

AEdo State House of Assembly continues its impeachment process against the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, the leadership of the Conference of Registered Political Parties ( CRPP) in the state, yesterday, appealed to Governor Godwin Obaseki to prevail on the House against impeaching Shaibu. Edo State House of Assembly had, since March 6, 2024, commenced the impeachment process against the state deputy governor for alleged gross misconduct and perjury.

Recall that the state leadership of CRPP had been in the vanguard of those advocating for amicable resolutions of the political difference between the deputy governor and the governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, over the September 21, 2024 governorship ambition of the former.

CRPP had not only appealed to Obaseki to prevail on the leadership of the state House of Assembly to stop the impeachment move but had also called on the House to heed the appeal of wellmeaning Nigerians, advising it to halt the impeachment move.

Following the constitution of a seven- man panel by the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, on Friday, to probe allegations against the deputy governor, CRPP has again called on Obaseki to halt the impeachment move by the House. In a statement, titled: “CRPP calls on the impeachment panel members to jettison the offer”, dated March 23, and signed by Dr Samson Isibor and John Isidahome, chairman and secretar y respectively, the group ap - pealed to Obaseki to remember that power is transient and not permanent. The statement reads: “Power is transient and not perma - nent, he should remember tomorrow.”

The group also appealed to the Chief Judge of Edo State to emulate the two judges in Ondo State during the illfated impeachment petition against the former deputy governor of the state and now the Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

The statement reads: “A case in point is that of Ondo State, where the judges on two different occasions stood their grounds and refused to do the biddings of the power that be and that of the state Assembly, pointing out that “peace, thereafter, returned to Ondo State automatically.”