Edo Majority Leader Hon. Charity Aiguobarueghian has described as false and misleading the purported ruling of the Court of Appeal in Abuja upholding the decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja quashing the impeachment of Deputy Govenror Philip Shaiub.
Controversy last Tuesday trailed the purported ruling of the Court of Appeal that affirmed Justice James Omotosho’s verdict that voided Shaibu’s impeachment by Edo Assembly for lack of a fair hearing and while affirming Justice Omotosho’s order for Shaibu’s return to office, also set aside the appointment of Omobayo Godwins as the new Deputy Governor, replacing Shaibu.
When contacted by reporters, Hon. Charity Aiguobarueghian laid down the substance and facts of the matter at hand
“There was a suit instituted by Shaibu during the impeachment process to stop it, the case was before Justice Egwuatu, while the matter was ongoing, he was impeached and the new deputy governor applied to strike out the case that as deputy governor he is not interested in pursuing a case.
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“Shaibu went and filed a motion asking that his name should be used instead as deputy governor of Edo State, he also asked that the case should be converted from originating summons to writ of summons, the court granted both applications so it was that motion that the court granted that we went to the Court of Appeal for, it was an interlocutory appeal, we went to the Court of Appeal to challenge that order changing the name to Philip Shaibu, while all these were going on, he filed another suit in his own name and that suit was taken to the court of Justice Omotosho and Justice Omotosho on the 17th of July now declared him winner in the later suit that was filed in his name and Edo State House of Assembly filed an appeal against that judgment, the Attorney General of Edo State also filed another appeal against that judgment”, added Charity Aiguobarueghian.
Speaking further, Aiguobarueghian said: “All three appeals came up on Tuesday and we now withdrew the interlocutory appeal against Justice Egwuatu’s ruling, it is that ruling that he is now saying he won, meanwhile that ruling did not declare him the deputy governor.
“Against that substantive suit that Justice Omotosho declared him winner, the appeal processes were served on him in court today and he has five days to reply and we were given another five days to reply to his response. That is when the suit will now be taken and a decision will not be taken. The decision has not been taken on the impeachment case.”