Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has firmly denied the notion that Governor Godwin Obaseki was responsible for his political rise. Instead, Shaibu claims that he, in fact, played a key role in Obaseki’s emergence as governor in 2016.
The ongoing conflict between Shaibu and Obaseki, who were once close allies, has been driven by the upcoming governorship election in Edo State, scheduled for September 21, 2024. The tension between the two reached new heights following Shaibu’s recent reinstatement as Deputy Governor by a Federal High Court. This came after his impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly on charges of misconduct. Despite the court’s decision, Governor Obaseki has refused to acknowledge Shaibu’s reinstatement, citing an appeal that has been filed against the ruling.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, August 16, 2023, Shaibu expressed his displeasure with Obaseki, whom he described as a political novice before his rise to power. He recalled that it was former Governor Adams Oshiomhole who persuaded him to support Obaseki’s candidacy for governor, stating, “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.”
Shaibu further explained that his decision to back Obaseki was based on his respect for Oshiomhole, not because of any financial incentive from Obaseki. He claimed that he and his allies provided the necessary resources and political capital to secure Obaseki’s victory in the 2016 election. “When you are talking about deputy governors and governors, he is not the one that made me; I made him,” Shaibu asserted.
The Deputy Governor also revealed that he was chosen as Obaseki’s running mate to strengthen the party’s ticket, given Obaseki’s lack of political experience. Shaibu accused Obaseki of deliberately withholding funds allocated to his office in an effort to prevent him from contesting the 2024 governorship election. He disclosed that he has not received any salary from the government for the past year.
Following his reinstatement by the court, Shaibu attempted to resume his duties as Deputy Governor and instructed his staff to do the same. However, this move was blocked by Obaseki, who accused Shaibu of impersonating the deputy governor. In response to these accusations, Shaibu described Obaseki as lawless, stating, “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 further criticised Obaseki for failing to adhere to the policies of the government that he himself initiated. He argued that Obaseki’s refusal to recognise the court’s ruling was just one example of the governor’s disregard for the rule of law.
