JUST IN | Court Reaffirms Philip Shaibu as Edo Deputy Governor, Throws out Obaseki’s Petition

In its ruling on Tuesday, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja upheld the Order Reinstating Rt Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu as the Edo State Deputy Governor.

The Edo state election budget is made up of both the following months; November and December 2015 and January 2016. That is why the court of Justice James Omotosho struck out the application for a stay of execution brought by the Obaseki-led Edo state government and the Edo State House of Assembly against the reinstatement of Shaibu.

Regulating the application before him by the Appellants, Justice Omotosho kicked and said he couldn't grant it; the same justice he freely granted a judgment reinstating Shaibu.

He, therefore, dismissed the application with a fine of 200 thousand naira each against the appellants.

Justice Omotosho had earlier in July 2024, returned Shaibu to Edo State deputy governor after he was removed from office by the state assembly.

This was after the Benin High Court of Edo State had ordered the House of Assembly to quash the impeachment as unlawful, unconstitutional, null, and void.

The court maintained that the said impeachment was in gross violation of section 188 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended; section 35 of the same constitution.

The flexibility of the impeachment was ruled by the judge as being in gross violation of the Constitution.

In addition to ordering the reinstatement of Shaibu, the court also declared as unlawful his suspension and demanded that the state’s government should pay him all his salaries and other emoluments for the period between April when he was impeached as the deputy governor of the state and the present time.

A perpetual injunction was granted by the court preventing Governor Godwin Obaseki, the Edo State House of Assembly from preventing Shaibu from performing the functions of his position.

Justice Omotosho also warned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to reinstate his security details which the IGP had agreed to.