The Edo State House Assembly’s Majority Leader, Charity Aiguobarueghan, said the Assembly needs not give the Chief Judge an ultimatum within which to set up the panel to investigate the allegation of gross misconduct levelled against the deputy governor, Philip Shaibu.
The house leader made this known during a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Wednesday.
He said the constitution made a provision that such a panel should be set up within seven days.
At the plenary on Monday, 19 members out of the 24 members voted in favour of the resolution to set up a seven-man panel.
The lawmakers commenced impeachment proceedings against Shaibu on March 5, accusing him of perjury and leaking the government’s secrets.
However, all efforts to get the impeachment notice to him proved abortive, as he was said to be out of the state.
After it became clear that the notice could not be served personally, the House served him the notice on March 12 through substitution (by publishing the letter in three national dailies).
The impeachment move is believed to be the latest development in the rift between Shaibu and his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki.
There had been an uneasy calm between the deputy governor and his principal since last year when Shaibu declared his interest to join this year’s Edo governorship race.
Aiguobarueghan said the Chief Judge has seven days to set up the panel by the constitution.
He said, “We have not given the Chief Judge an ultimatum to set up the panel. If he doesn’t set it up today (Wednesday), he can set it up, the next day or the next one.
“However, he has seven days to set up the panel by the constitution.”