A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled April 19 for the hearing of a suit filed by Philip Shaibu, the impeached Deputy Governor of Edo State, against the state house of assembly and others.
The case, which was brought before Justice Inyang Ekwo, was fixed for hearing after a team of lawyers, including Alex Ejesieme, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), arrived at the court to request a date for the proceedings.
According to reports, the suit, labeled FHC/ABJ/CS/405/24, was not listed on the cause list. Nevertheless, the defense lawyers notified the court that they had come to attend to the case.
Before adjourning the proceedings, one of the lawyers informed Justice Ekwo that the initial scheduled date for the hearing was Thursday, but due to a public holiday, the court did not sit on that day.
The lawyer stated, “So in obedience to the court, we came today.”
Justice Ekwo responded by emphasizing that he could not preside over a case that was not in the court’s file. He directed the lawyers to liaise with the court registrar to obtain the next adjourned date.
Consequently, the hearing was rescheduled for April 19.
It is worth noting that on March 26, Philip Shaibu filed the suit, which was then officially submitted on March 27. In the suit, Shaibu sued the Inspector-General of Police (I-G), as well as the State Security Service (SSS), as the first and second respondents.
Additionally, Shaibu joined Hon. Justice S.A. Omonua (rtd.), the Chairman representing himself, and members of the Panel of Seven Appointed by the 4th Defendant, the Chief Judge of Edo, and Prof. Theresa Akpoghome as the third to fifth respondents.
The case is expected to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding Shaibu’s impeachment and the legality of the actions taken by the Edo State House of Assembly.
