A Federal High Court in Abuja has reinstated Philip Shaibu as the deputy governor of Edo State, three months after the Edo House of Assembly impeached him.
The judge, James Omotosho, declared on Wednesday that Shaibu’s impeachment by the state assembly was illegal, Channels Television reported.
Omotosho ordered the Inspector General of Police to restore Shaibu’s security details. He directed that his salaries and allowances be paid since April, when he was removed from office.
The Edo Assembly has appealed the judgement and filed for a stay of its execution pending the determination of the appeal.
He described his removal from office as a “dangerous descent into dictatorship and a threat to democracy,” adding that it was “hatched because of his governorship ambition.”
His removal was the peak of his political rift with Governor Godwin Obaseki, who did not support his ambition to succeed him.
The Edo Assembly had accused Shaibu of perjury and disclosure of government secrets.
