- I Had No Plans Of Working With Two Deputy Governors Before End Of My Tenure
- Shaibu Kicks, Says Impeachment Dangerous Descent Into Dictatorship, Threat To Foundation Of Democracy
- New Dep Gov Reveals Why He Dumped LP, Vows Not To Drag Power With Obaseki
The political crisis rocking Edo State took a turn on Monday April 8, 2024 as Philip Shaibu, the embattled former deputy governor of the state was finally impeached bringing to an end an impasse that has lingered between the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki and his former deputy.
The Matrix reports that the state’s House of Assembly impeached Shaibu as deputy governor, ending a long-drawn political battle between him and Obaseki.
Shaibu’s impeachment followed the adoption of the report of a seven-man committee set up by the chief judge of Edo State Justice Daniel Okungbowa to investigate allegations of misconduct against the deputy governor.
During plenary at the assembly complex in Benin City, the Edo State capital, the Majority Leader of the House Charity Aiguobarueghian said the report of the seven-man judicial panel of inquiry presented to the House had two findings and one recommendation.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Edo Crisis widens As Obaseki Appoints New Deputy Governor
Aiguobarueghian said that while the report of the panel was unable to establish the case of perjury levelled against the deputy governor, the panel found him guilty of disclosure of government secrets.
According to the report, the seven-man judicial panel of inquiry recommended that the deputy governor be impeached on grounds of disclosure of government secrets.
The Clerk of the House Yahaya Omogbai conducted a head count of the lawmakers who voted for and against the impeachment of Shaibu.
Eighteen out of 19 members present at plenary voted for the impeachment of the deputy governor while one abstained from the head count and voting process.
The clerk of the House stated that 2/3 (16 members of the House) was needed to carry out the impeachment.
The assembly then upheld and approved the recommendation of the seven-man panel and subsequently impeached the deputy governor.
The speaker Agbebaku has since directed Omogbai to forward copies of the impeachment to Governor Godwin Obaseki for his assent.
The impeachment brings to a close a political battle which witnessed several twists and turns, claims, counterclaims, apologies, and court cases, was an offshoot of the duo’s tainted relationship owing to Shaibu’s plans to contest the Edo State governorship election billed for September while the governor had another candidate in mind.
READ ALSO: I will Challenge My Impeachment in Court- Shaibu
Obaseki had claimed that Shaibu was planning a “coup” to unseat him. The latter also accused his principal of trying to instigate the Edo State House of Assembly to impeach him.
Shaibu later contested the PDP governorship primary and declared himself a winner in a parallel election. However, businessman Asue Ighodalo, Obaseki’s choice was declared as the party’s flagbearer for the exercise coming up later in the year.
Reacting to the impeachment and subsequent swearing in ceremony of a new deputy governor, Omobayo Marvellous Godwins, Obaseki disclosed that he never envisaged that he would work with two deputy governors before the end of his eight years in office.
Obaseki who quoted from the book of Proverb 16:9 noted that there was no vacuum in government, hence the appointment and swearing in of a new deputy governor.
According to him: “We have run a very interesting and eventful tenure since we took office in 2016 and gained your trust to continue on our mandate for another term in 2020, and at no point in this journey did I envisage that I will be having to work with two deputy governors before the end of my eight-year run in office.
“But as the Bible says in Proverb 16: 9: ‘You may make your plans, but it is God that directs your actions.
“As there cannot be a vacuum in government, we have by consensus selected Omobayo Marvellous to take over the baton as the new deputy governor of our dear state.”
The governor, who opined that the legislative arm of government, had in the past few weeks, carried out their constitutional role, providing checks and balances in our democracy, noted: “Today, we have arrived at this difficult but inevitable juncture.”
Obaseki, who described his new deputy governor as a thoroughbred young professional, posited that his choice would provide the needed impetus to rally round all interests and persuasions within the state to work more closely together in realising the government’s vision for a viable, strong and prosperous state that will be the envy of all.
He explained that the 38-year-old, new deputy governor is a symbol of his administration’s undying belief in the power of youths to transform the State, bringing vigour and renewed energy to the drive to place young people at the centre of politics and developmental agenda.
While describing the new deputy governor as a man for the season, Governor Obaseki assured that he would be working with him in the last few months, as his administration made progress on its promises to finish strong for the benefit of the people of the state.
In a swift reaction to the impeachment, Shaibu said it was an attack on the country’s democracy.
“This is not just an attack on me as an individual but on the democracy that we hold dear,” he said.
READ ALSO: LP Crisis Assumes New Dimension
“It is a dangerous descent into dictatorship and a threat to the foundation of our democracy. Let it be clear that this impeachment was hatched because of my ambition to contest the Edo State 2024 governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. An ambition that is a legal right to all citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the newly sworn-in Deputy Governor of Edo State, Godwins disclosed that he dumped the Labour Party (LP) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because the party promises a bright future for him politically.
The 37-year-old, who was sworn in on Monday after the state assembly impeached Philip Shaibu as Edo deputy governor, was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
According to Godwins, he left the Labour Party to support the governorship aspiration of PDP flag bearer for the September 21 Edo Governorship election, Asue Ighodalo.
The new deputy governor was unambiguous that his becoming deputy governor, months to the expiration of the eight-year tenure of Governor Godwin Obaseki, was part of the political permutations for Ighodalo to defeat his closest contenders like LP’s Olumide Akpata and Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Godwins boasted that he has grassroot support from his base in Akoko Edo, one of the local governments in the Edo North Senatorial District to boost the chances of Ighodalo, who hails from Ewohimi in the Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo Central Senatorial District.
Godwins said the Labour Party has changed entirely from what it used to be during the 2023 polls when he lost the poll for the Federal House of Representatives seat for the Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency. He cited irreconcilable differences and squabbles among the party’s members as some of his reasons.
He also pledged his unalloyed loyalty to Obaseki saying he is learning on the job and won’t hesitate to do all that his principal instructs him to do.
When asked if he is satisfied that the role of a deputy governor has been relegated to a “spare tire”, Godwins said, “It’s okay with me. Life is a process. At 37+, I am already a deputy governor, it has improved my political outlook and I am not in a rush to drag with my governor. Whatever he says I should do is what I will do. He knows my strength. So, I will dwell on my strength when it comes to adding value. Politically, I am learning on the job.”
