The Chief Judge of Edo, Daniel Okungbowa, has changed the composition of the panel set up to investigate the allegations against the Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, as a part of the impeachment process by the House of Assembly.
The Chief Registrar of the state High Court, Benson Osawaru, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, in Benin, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
In the new list, two members of the panel, Violet Aigbokhaebo and Boniface Edegbai, both professors, were dropped. Their replacements are President Aigbokhian and Mariam Ilavbare.
Mr Osawaru did not say why those two were dropped from the panel. The list of members was earlier released on Friday.
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Other members are Theresa Akpoghome, Oghogho Oviasu, Andrew Oliha, Idris Abdulkareen,
A retired judge, Steve Omonua is the chairperson of the panel.
As part of an impeachment process against a governor or his deputy, the Nigerian constitution empowers the chief judge of a state to set up an independent panel to investigate the allegations against the official who is facing impeachment.
PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday reported that the Edo State Assembly passed a resolution, asking the chief judge to set up the committee to probe the allegations against Mr Shaibu.
The Assembly Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, during the plenary, notified the lawmakers that the seven-day ultimatum given to Mr Shaibu to respond to the impeachment notice served on him had expired.
The speaker reminded his colleagues that an impeachment notice was served on the deputy governor on 6 March through a substituted service, published in the Nigerian Observer and Vanguard newspaper on 12 March.
The house, according to the speaker, resorted to substituted service because of the deputy governor’s alleged evasion of service.
The assembly on 6 March commenced impeachment moves against Mr Shaibu, whose political ambition has soured his relationship with Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The Majority Leader of the Assembly, Charity Aiguobarueghian, said the lawmakers were acting on a petition dated 5 March against Mr Shaibu.
The petition, according to the house leader, was signed by 21 out of 24 lawmakers in the assembly.
READ ALSO: Catholic priest cautions Obaseki over moves to impeach Philip Shaibu
The petition, according to the majority leader of the house, was based on perjury and the disclosure of government secrets.
Mr Shaibu wants to succeed Mr Obaseki as governor of the state in the forthcoming 21 September election but Mr Obaseki, who prefers another person, Asue Ighodalo as his successor, described his deputy as being “overambitious.”
Mr Ighodalo, a former banker, recently won the Peoples Democratic Party governorship primary in the state, while Mr Shaibu emerged winner of a parallel primary in which he was the only aspirant.
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