Edo Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, Reveals How Obaseki Became Governor, Slams Him for Not Recognizing His Reinstatement
The Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has been at loggerheads with the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki, over issues regarding the governorship election in the state.
Shaibu was recently reinstated to office by a Federal High Court, but Obaseki has failed to recognize his reinstatement, leading to a public spat between the two.
In a recent interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Shaibu revealed how he made Obaseki governor, saying that it took former governor of the state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole three months to convince him to support Obaseki’s candidacy.
Shaibu said that Obaseki was not a politician and lacked the financial resources to contest the election, but he and his supporters brought their resources and political capital to make him governor.
Shaibu also alleged that Obaseki tried to stop him from running for the 2024 governorship election by withholding finances due to him as deputy governor, and that he has not received any cheque from the government for the past year.
Following his reinstatement, Shaibu announced that he was back to his role and directed his staff to follow suit, but the Edo state government released a statement saying that Shaibu was impersonating the deputy governor.
Shaibu reacted to the accusation, saying that Obaseki has shown how lawless he is by failing to recognize his reinstatement, despite being served with a valid court judgment.
He also accused Obaseki of not following policies of government that he initiated.
The controversy began when the Edo State House of Assembly impeached Shaibu as deputy governor, but a Federal High Court judgment on July 17 declared the impeachment illegal, unconstitutional, null, and void.
The court ordered that Shaibu’s salaries and allowances be paid to him from April and issued an order of perpetual injunction restraining Obaseki and the Edo State House of Assembly from stopping Shaibu from performing his duties.
However, the Edo State House of Assembly has appealed the judgment and filed a motion for a stay of execution pending appeal. The controversy has highlighted the deepening rift between Shaibu and Obaseki, with both men accusing each other of lawlessness and impunity.
