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Edo Assembly Impeaches Philip Shaibu As Deputy Governor

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The political atmosphere in Edo State took a new shape on Monday (today) when the state’s House of Assembly impeached embattled Philip Shaibu as deputy governor, ending a long-drawn drama between him and Governor Godwin Obaseki. 

 

He was impeached during the House’s plenary session in Benin City, the Edo State capital in a move that began months ago following the soured relationship between Obaseki and Shaibu.

 

Shaibu’s impeachment followed the adoption of the report of a seven-man committee set up by the chief judge of Edo State Justice Daniel Okungbowa to investigate allegations of misconduct against the deputy governor.

 

During plenary at the assembly complex in Benin City, the Edo State capital, the Majority Leader of the House Charity Aiguobarueghian said the report of the seven-man judicial panel of inquiry presented to the House had two findings and one recommendation.

 

Aiguobarueghian said that while the report of the panel was unable to establish the case of perjury levelled against the deputy governor, the panel found him guilty of disclosure of government secrets.

According to the report, the seven-man judicial panel of inquiry recommended that the deputy governor be impeached on grounds of disclosure of government secrets.

 

The Clerk of the House Yahaya Omogbai conducted a head count of the lawmakers who voted for and against the impeachment of Shaibu.

 

Eighteen out of 19 members present at plenary voted for the impeachment of the deputy governor while one abstained from the head count and voting process.

 

The clerk of the House stated that 2/3 (16 members of the House) was needed to carry out the impeachment.

 

The assembly then upheld and approved the recommendation of the seven-man panel and subsequently impeached the deputy governor.

 

The speaker Blessing Agbebaku has since directed Omogbai to forward copies of the impeachment to Governor Godwin Obaseki for his assent.

 

 

Monday’s impeachment comes as a Federal High Court in Abuja was to resume sitting in the lawsuit filed by Shaibu to challenge the Edo State House of Assembly’s plan to impeach him.

 

But in a swift reaction to his impeachment, Shaibu faulted the move which he said is a threat to the country’s democracy.

 

In a video post, the impeached Shaibu accused the lawmakers of failing the state and those who elected them.

 

Last week, the Edo House of Assembly started the impeachment proceedings against Shaibu. Twenty-one of the 24 lawmakers signed a petition to that effect.

 

They accused Shaibu of perjury and disclosure of the state government’s secrets.

During its plenary last Tuesday, the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly Blessing Agbebaku told the lawmakers that the seven-day ultimatum granted Shaibu to respond to the impeachment notice served on him had expired.

The speaker reminded the lawmakers that the impeachment notice was served on Shaibu on March 6, 2024. But due to what he described as the deputy governor’s alleged evasion of service, the Edo House of Assembly ordered a substituted service.

Agbebaku said the substituted service was published in the Nigerian Observer and the Vanguard Newspapers on March 12, 2024. He said March 19, 2024, made it seven days.

The Majority Leader of the Edo House of Assembly Charity Aiguobarueghan then moved a motion that Justice Okungbowa be directed to set up a committee to probe the petition against Shaibu.

International News

Barca Transfermarket Values: Raphinha, 8 Others Drop, 3 Players Rise

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June 5th, Transfermarkt updated. The new market values of Barcelona players. Three players increased and nine decreased, with Raphinha dropping by 10 million to 70 million euros.

 

Increase (Euros)
Joan-Garcia increased by 5 million to 45 million

Eric-Garcia increased by 5 million to 40 million

Gerard-Martin increased by 10 million to 35 million

Decrease (Euros)
Raphinha decreased by 10 million to 70 million

Kounde decreased by 5 million to 60 million

Balde decreased by 5 million to 50 million

De Jong decreased by 10 million to 35 million

Casado decreased by 2 million to 18 million

Christensen decreased by 1 million to 8 million

Cancelo decreased by 1 million to 8 million

Lewandowski decreased by 1 million to 7 million

Szczesny decreased by 100,000 to 800,000

Unchanged (Euros)
Yamal 200 million

Pedri 150 million

Fermin 100 million

Cubarsi 80 million

Olmo 60 million

Ferran Torres 50 million

Rashford 40 million

Gavi 30 million

Bernal 30 million

Araujo 20 million

Bardghji 15 million

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Entertainment

Singer Niniola Laments Husband’s Death

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Singer Niniola Apata has opened up about her late husband, Michael Ndika, and the central role he played in her music career and personal life.

 

Speaking in a video at a gathering held in his honour, Niniola recounted how their relationship shaped her growth as an artist and as a person.

Ndika, CEO of African music platform NaijaReview, died on May 19, 2026 at 44.

She said he was her strongest supporter from day one even when she considered stepping away from music, he pushed her to continue.

According to her, Ndika believed in her talent and vowed to make her a star.

Niniola described their bond as inseparable, stressing how he was part of her daily routine and her main source of emotional support. Since his death, she said, her life has changed completely.

She thanked his family for embracing her and admitted that coping with the loss has been hard.

Reflecting on their marriage, she called it a love story.

She said Ndika gave her everything and lived for her and while she was the face and voice of her brand, he was the engine behind it.

She said: “My story with Michael is a love story. Michael did everything for me. Everything was for me, he was breathing for me. He loved me, I loved him so much. And I learned so much from Michael. But Michael met me raw, and he said, I’ll make you a superstar.’ And he did. I was just the face and the voice, but Michael was the engine.

“Even when I decided to, you know, give music a break, he didn’t let it. The first person I saw in the morning was Michael. And the last person who closed my eyes at night was Michael. So now what do I do? Tell me, what do I do? Michael was the best thing, the best person that ever happened to me.”

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Insecurity: Emir Tells Subjects To Acquire Arms For Self Defence

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The Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Muhammad Samaila Mera, has called on his subjects to legally acquire weapons to protect their communities against persistent attacks by bandits.

 

He also urged communities in the emirate to remain vigilant and take proactive measures against terrorists and criminal elements that often invade the areas.

The monarch made the call during a meeting with district heads, village heads, and ward heads at his palace in Argungu.

He added that communities should consider raising funds collectively to purchase legally approved weapons for self-defence.

“If you acquire such weapons legally, make sure the bandits are aware that your community possesses the means to defend itself. This alone can serve as a deterrent and discourage attacks,” he said.

He stressed that Islam does not encourage people to remain helpless in the face of violence.

“It is not right for a Muslim to remain passive while criminals kill people, kidnap innocent citizens, and rape our women. Be prepared to defend yourselves, your families, and your communities against any attack,” the Emir stated.

The royal father lamented that many communities had become vulnerable because they lack the means to defend themselves.

He said, “When bandits attack, people start running, including village heads. This is happening because communities do not have adequate means of self-defence.”

He clarified that he was not encouraging communities to take the law into their own hands or engage in acts of terrorism, but rather advocating lawful self-defence, noting that the security challenge has become too overwhelming for security agencies alone to handle.

He said it was disheartening for communities to continue to lose lives without any form of resistance, while warning against ethnic violence and extrajudicial killings.

The emir warned that he would not support anyone carrying arms to attack other ethnic groups or engage in unlawful killings.

He said many of the attacks are reprisals, he therefore urged the communities not to carry out revenge attacks against innocent people because every unlawful killing only breeds another cycle of revenge.

The emir said that, although many members of the Lakurawa group had left the area, they had allegedly left behind armed bandits who continue to terrorize communities and maintain links with their former collaborators.

He called on communities across the Argungu Emirate to remain vigilant, cooperate with security agencies, and uphold the fear of God in all their dealings.

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