By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has criticized Governor Godwin Obaseki for failing to acknowledge his reinstatement by the court, claiming that he was instrumental in making Obaseki governor.
Shaibu made these remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s political program, Politics Today, on Friday, August 16.
Shaibu revealed that it took former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole three months to convince him and his supporters to back Obaseki for the governorship position. Shaibu also claimed that Obaseki lacked financial strength at the time, and was only able to ascend to power due to the resources and political capital provided by him and his allies.
He said; “Obaseki was not a politician, even financially, Obaseki was not financially strong to even contest the election.
Oshiomhole brought him and when Oshiomhole brought him, some of us argued that he could not be him. It took Oshiomhole three months to convince me and some of our supporters to support Obaseki.
“And when we decided because of the respect for Oshiomhole to support him, he did not bring money – we brought our resources and our friends to bring money and we brought our political capital to make him governor. So, when you are talking about deputy governors and governors, he is not the one that made me, I made him.”
The relationship between Shaibu and Obaseki has been strained over issues related to the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State. Shaibu, who was chosen as Obaseki’s deputy to add political value to the ticket, has accused the governor of attempting to hinder his political ambitions by cutting off finances due to him as deputy governor. He also claimed that he has not received any payments from the government for the past year.
After being reinstated by a Federal High Court, Shaibu returned to his duties as deputy governor and instructed his staff to do the same.
However, the Edo State Government responded by accusing Shaibu of impersonating the deputy governor, a charge that Shaibu strongly refuted.
“The holder of the office of the governor in Edo State today is lawless, Godwin Obaseki is lawless. If he is not lawless, he will not say Philip Shaibu is impersonating because there is a valid court judgment that he has been served,” Shaibu asserted.
The legal battle began after the Edo State House of Assembly impeached Shaibu in April. However, a July 17 judgment by Justice Omotoso declared the impeachment illegal, unconstitutional, null, and void. The court ordered Shaibu’s reinstatement, the payment of his salaries and allowances from April, and issued an injunction preventing Governor Obaseki and the Edo State House of Assembly from obstructing Shaibu from performing his duties. The court also directed the Inspector General of Police to restore Shaibu’s security details.
Despite the court ruling, the Edo State House of Assembly has appealed the judgment and filed a motion for a stay of execution pending the appeal. The legal and political conflict between Shaibu and Obaseki continues to unfold as both sides seek to assert their positions.