NEWS
Court Sets Date For Shaibu’s Suit Against Edo Assembly
A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled a hearing date for a lawsuit initiated by Philip Shaibu, the impeached Deputy Governor of Edo State, against the state’s house of assembly and others.
Filed on March 27, the suit listed the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police and State Security Service (SSS) as the first and second respondents.
Additionally, it included Hon. Justice S.A. Omonua (rtd.), the Chairman, and members of the Panel of Seven Appointed by the 4th Defendant, the Chief Judge of Edo, and Prof. Theresa Akpoghome as the third to fifth respondents.
Shaibu, represented by O.A. Gbadamosi, SAN, also named President Aigbokhian, Oghogho Ayodele Oviasu, and the Edo State House of Assembly as the sixth to eighth respondents, respectively.
In the originating motion on notice, Shaibu sought a declaration asserting that the failure of the 3rd to 8th respondents to afford him a fair hearing during the impeachment proceedings instigated by the 8th respondent was unlawful, unconstitutional, and a blatant breach of his fundamental right to fair hearing, as enshrined in Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Additionally, he is pursuing a declaration highlighting that the assembly’s neglect to personally serve the purported impeachment notice on him and each member of the House of Assembly, as mandated by Section 188(2) of the 1999 Constitution, constitutes a violation of his right to fair hearing.
He additionally requested a declaration stating that the appointment of the 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th respondents as chairman and members of the seven-member investigation panel tasked with probing allegations outlined in a purported impeachment notice against him is marred by a reasonable suspicion of bias and will lead to a breach of his fundamental right to fair hearing, as guaranteed under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
In additionhe sought an order instructing the respondents to refrain from taking any further actions that would infringe upon his fundamental right to fair hearing, as guaranteed under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution.
In the same vein, he requested an order directing the 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th respondents to disqualify themselves from serving as Chairman and members of the 7-Man Investigating Panel appointed by the 3rd respondent, due to the potential bias against him, among other reliefs.
Shaibu provided seven grounds of argument, asserting that until now, he had never been presented with any such notice or allegations of misconduct, abuse of office, or any allegations whatsoever, whether during his tenure as deputy governor or acting governor.
He stated that he had not received any letter or notice as mandated by Section 188(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. Furthermore, he emphasized that the assembly had not granted him any opportunity to respond to any purported allegations, thus lacking any justification for initiating a process aimed at his removal from office as deputy governor.
He said, “The 3rd respondent via a letter dated 25th March, 2024 was appointed by the 4th respondent as the chairman of a panel of seven persons to investigate the allegations contained in a purported impeachment notice, which is yet to be personally served on the applicant.
“The 3rd respondent is a retired judicial officer and community leader from Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo Central Senatorial District, where there is strong clamour against the gubernatorial ambition of the applicant.
“The 3rd respondent appears to have been given the hatchet job of recommending the removal from office of the applicant, in order to weaken his political ambition of becoming governor of Edo State.
“The 4th respondent being a protégé of the 3rd respondent, appointed him as chairman of the Investigating Panel, when other persons he offered the same appointment rejected it, because it was a politically motivated job.”
The case, presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo, was scheduled for hearing on Friday, following the appearance of a team of lawyers, including Alex Ejesieme, SAN, who attended to request a date for the case.
Despite the suit, identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/405/24, not being listed on the cause list, the defense lawyers attended the court session.
Just before adjourning the session, one of the lawyers informed Justice Ekwo that the matter was initially slated for Thursday but was postponed due to a public holiday, resulting in the court’s non-sitting.
However, Justice Ekwo clarified that he could not preside over a matter not present in the file, instructing them to coordinate with the court registrar for the next adjourned date.
The hearing was subsequently rescheduled for April 19.
Recall that on Monday, Shaibu faced impeachment by the state’s house of assembly following the panel’s finding of guilt on charges of perjury and divulging government secrets.
The retired Justice Omonuwa-led panel commenced its sessions on April 3 in Benin and concluded on April 5, with neither Shaibu nor his counsel in attendance.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
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The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has inaugurated a 12-member committee tasked with recovering government vehicles reportedly in private hands.
The committee, led by Kelly Okungbowa, has been given a two-week mandate to retrieve the vehicles and ensure their return to the state government.
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Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in Benin City, Governor Okpebholo emphasized the importance of accountability in the management of public resources.
He urged the committee to carry out its assignment thoroughly and within the bounds of the law.
In his response, Okungbowa expressed gratitude to the governor for entrusting the team with the assignment, vowing to deliver results within the stipulated timeframe.
“A lot of vehicles used by the past administration are missing, as those in custody of the vehicles have refused to return them,” Okungbowa said.
“The governor deemed it fit to inaugurate us today with a mandate to recover all government vehicles in private hands.”
The committee, which includes representatives from Edo’s three senatorial districts, is set to investigate and recover the vehicles based on credible intelligence already at their disposal.
“We already have vital information regarding some persons still holding government vehicles,” Okungbowa stated. “We will do the job according to the law, and both the government and the people will be satisfied with the outcome.”
He also called on members of the public to assist the committee by providing information about any government vehicles that may still be in private possession.
“We want to appeal to members of the public who might be aware of anyone still keeping government vehicles in their houses to please inform us to enable the committee to recover such for the Edo State Government,” Okungbowa said.
The committee’s vice chairman, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror, a former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, will work alongside other members to ensure the success of the initiative. The public can reach the committee at 08110165121.
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