A Federal High Court in Abuj la has set April 19 as the date for the hearing of a suit filed by the impeached Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, against the state house of assembly and other respondents.
The case was brought before Justice Inyang Ekwo and was fixed for hearing after a team of lawyers, including Alex Ejesieme, SAN, sought a date for the case.
The suit, marked as FHC/ABJ/CS/405/24, was not listed on the cause list, yet the lawyers representing the defense appeared in court.
The matter was subsequently fixed for April 19 after Justice Ekwo directed the lawyers to liaise with the court registrar for the next adjourned date.
In the suit filed on March 27, Shaibu challenges the legality and constitutionality of the impeachment proceedings against him.
He claims a violation of his fundamental right to fair hearing, as outlined in Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
He also seeks a declaration that the failure of the Edo State House of Assembly to serve the purported impeachment notice on him personally and on each member of the House is a violation of his right to fair hearing.
Shaibu further argues that the inclusion of certain respondents as chairman and members of the seven-member Investigation panel is tainted by a reasonable likelihood of bias and will result in a violation of his fundamental right to fair hearing.
He seeks an order directing the respondents not to take further steps in violating his fundamental right to fair hearing, guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.
The court's decision to hear the case on April 19 is a crucial step in resolving the legal dispute between Shaibu and the Edo State House of Assembly.
The outcome of the hearing will undoubtedly have significant implications for the political landscape in Edo State.
