Obaseki didn’t make me, I made him, says Shaibu

Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has expressed his displeasure with Governor Godwin Obaseki for not recognizing him following his court-ordered reinstatement to office.

During an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Shaibu criticized the governor’s actions, asserting that his efforts were pivotal in making Obaseki the governor of Edo State.

Shaibu revealed that former governor Adams Oshiomhole had to spend three months convincing him to support Obaseki’s candidacy. “It took a lot of persuasion and commitment on my part to back Obaseki, and that decision played a crucial role in his becoming governor,” Shaibu stated.

The deputy governor’s comments come amidst ongoing tensions between him and Governor Obaseki, highlighting the strained relationship within Edo State’s leadership. Despite the court’s decision to reinstate Shaibu, the apparent lack of recognition from the governor has fueled further discord.

Shaibu’s public remarks underscore the complexities of political alliances and the challenges that can arise even after legal resolutions.

“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,” Shaibu said.

The duo have been at loggerheads over issues regarding the governorship election in the state.

Shaibu said he was asked to be Obaseki’s deputy to add political value to the party’s ticket because Obaseki was not a politician.

He said his principal tried to stop him from running for the 2024 governorship election by stopping finances due to him as deputy governor, adding that he has not received any cheque from the government for the past year.

‘Obaseki Lawless’
Following his reinstatement as the deputy governor by a Federal High Court, Shaibu announced that he was back to his role and directed his staff to follow suit. However, the Edo state government released a statement saying that Shaibu is impersonating the deputy governor.

Reacting to the accusation of impersonation, Shaibu said that Governor Obaseki has shown how lawless he is.

”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.”

”That is not the only court judgement he is not obeying and this is a governor that will not even follow policies of government that he initiated.”

Shaibu’s reinstatement

In a judgment a judgement on July 17, Justice Omotoso declared the impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly as illegal, unconstitutional, null, and void.

The court held that the said impeachment was in gross violation of the provisions of both sections 188 and 35 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The judge held that the impeachment was in gross violation of the Constitution.

Aside from restoring Shaibu, the court also ordered that his salaries and allowances should be paid to him from April when he was impeached as the deputy governor of the state.

The court issued an order of perpetual injunction restraining Governor Godwin Obaseki and the Edo State House of Assembly from stopping Shaibu from performing the functions of his office.

Justice Omotosho also ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to restore his security details.

Meanwhile, the Edo State House of Assembly appealed the judgement of the High Court and has filed a motion for a stay of execution pending appeal.

The court verdict came about three months after the lawmakers impeached the embattled 54-year-old as the state’s deputy governor.