Dan Orbih, the PDP’s national vice chairman for the South-South, and Aslem Ojezua, a prominent member of the party, have congratulated Philip Shaibu on the court ruling reinstating him as the deputy governor of Edo.

On Wednesday, the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court nullified the impeachment of Mr Shaibu as the deputy governor of Edo.

Justice James Omotosho, in the judgement, ordered his reinstatement on grounds that the Edo State House of Assembly failed to comply with due process in the purported impeachment.

Mr Shaibu was impeached on April 8, 2024, by the Edo House of Assembly over allegations of disclosure of government secrets.

Mr Orbih, in a telephone interview on Wednesday, said: “I want to sincerely congratulate Phillip Shaibu over his landmark victory in the legal battle against his unlawful impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly.”

He said he was delighted by the judgement because he led the campaign that brought Mr Shaibu and Governor Godwin Obaseki to serve a second term in 2020.

Mr Orbih appealed to all political actors in the state to let the judgement be the basis for a new and more fruitful relationship, especially within the PDP and among the citizens of the state.

On his part, Mr Ojezua, a former governorship aspirant of the party, said that with the judgement, common sense and the rule of law had prevailed.

“Today, I think that those who believed in the rule of law have prevailed. We can’t rule Edo State like a banana republic.

“There are rules and they are meant to be obeyed. The House of Assembly violated all the rules and came up with trump-up charges,” he said.

He advised Mr Obaseki to begin a reconciliation process within the party and with the people.

(NAN)