End of the road for Philip Shaibu?

With the impeachment notice served on the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu by the state House of Assembly, there are indications that his removal is imminent, Juliet Akoje writes

When reports emerged that the Edo State House of Assembly had commenced impeachment proceedings against the state’s Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, many analysts knew that it was time for him to go after a long-drawn battle with his boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki.

The Majority Leader, Charity Aiguobarueghian (PDP Ovia North-East 1), who announced the impeachment notice during plenary, said a petition dated March 5 and contained two breaches and infractions committed by Shaibu, was signed by 21 out of the 24 members of the state’s legislature. He further stated that the petition was based on two grounds: Perjury and the revelation of government secrets.

Aiguobarueghian noted that the number of members who signed the petition was higher than two-thirds required by the constitution.

Speaker of the House, Blessing Agbebaku (PDP-Owan-West), who acknowledged receipt of the petition, directed the Clerk of the House, Yahaya Omogbai, to serve the impeachment notice on the deputy governor. He also gave the deputy governor seven days to respond to the notice of impeachment.

Shaibu was a strong political ally of Governor Godwin Obaseki. In the build-up to the 2020 governorship election in the state, both men had formed what many perceived as an unbreakable alliance. Together, they confronted the onslaught of the then National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole to emerge victorious as governor and deputy governor, respectively.

Signs of friction however surfaced when Shaibu showed interest in succeeding his boss in the upcoming governorship election. Obaseki felt Shaibu’s true intention was to undermine his authority.

 It was alleged that Shaibu did not formally inform his boss of his intention before embarking on consultations over his ambition.

 The governor was also said to have appealed to his associates who were interested in the governorship race to focus more on ensuring that the administration finished well and strong, a decision Shaibu ignored.

Since the feud began, the governor has stripped his deputy of state responsibilities he had once controlled such as revenue supervision and sports administration in the state.

The feud even led to the deputy governor being kicked out of his office from the Government House, to a different location at No. 7 Dennis Osadebe Avenue, formerly meant for the state Public Procurement Office.

At the beginning of the year, the crisis between the two shifted to the 2024 budget of the state with the office of the deputy governor receiving a paltry N300 million as compared to billions received in the past. This was seen as an attempt to strangulate him.

In his recent television interview, Shaibu attributed his fallout with Obaseki to his ambition to succeed him.

The deputy governor said Obaseki is not happy that he is not supporting his preferred candidate. He added that he had made several efforts to mend the relationship with the governor to no avail.

“He has not been happy that I’m not supporting his candidate. It is my right to contest in an election and I’m exercising that right. And he has done a lot of negative things. It doesn’t really matter, I see it as politics.

“I’ve made up my mind to always respect the office of the governor, and I’ll continue to respect the office of the governor till the end, whether as deputy or any other thing. So the relationship is not cordial, I can tell you that. It’s not from my own end, it’s from his own end because I have made attempts to bridge the gap, but he doesn’t allow it,” Shaibu said.

 “I have called him and he doesn’t pick up, even in public functions. I greet him, but he doesn’t answer me, because I have made up my mind that I must exercise my right. We’ve never had any differences, the only difference we have is ‘why are you contesting?’”

However, Obaseki in his reaction, accused him of disloyalty and planning to overthrow him because of his desperation to become the next governor of the state.

According to him, Shaibu had gone to Abuja and was boasting about his connections there, stating that he had people in the National Assembly who were supportive of him. Shaibu allegedly indicated that if he couldn’t secure the ticket in the PDP, he knew what to do, implying that he had a sinister plan. The governor noted that he stayed quiet during this time, assuming they were on the same page. However, he admitted that what struck him was when he inaugurated the House of Assembly and they were about to elect officers.

“He was in Abuja; he came back that day. I am the chief security officer of this state. I get any information I need. But I have that responsibility to keep quiet and use the information properly.

“My deputy called the leader in APC, telling him that during the elections the next day, particularly the election of the Speaker of the House of Assembly that he has five members who are loyal to him and that he would like the seven members of APC to work with his five members of PDP to produce the next speaker.

“As far as I am concerned, that was not working in our common interest. Why would the deputy governor seek to have another speakership candidate outside what the governor wants? Are we working together? That was when I knew we had a problem. That the deputy governor has become so desperate to take over,” Obaseki explained.

Last Saturday, the deputy governor said he had been receiving impeachment threats over his involvement in the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He noted that he would not be deterred, insisting that contesting the Edo governorship election is his constitutional right.

On February 22, Shaibu was declared winner of a factional governorship primary election that was reportedly held at his residence in Benin City, the state capital, while Asue Ighodalo was also announced winner of another PDP primary exercise which took place at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin.

Ighodalo, the preferred candidate of Obaseki is the flagbearer recognised by the PDP national leadership.

However, the deputy governor has consistently faulted the primary that produced Ighodalo, saying that it was organised by the state party executive instead of the national executive of the party. He claimed that members of the state executive and the governor are supporters of Ighodalo and therefore were not going to conduct an unbiased election.

He maintained that he is the authentic candidate of the PDP, and warned that failure by the party to accept him as its candidate in the state governorship election will spell doom for the party in the state.

“PDP has a date with history; delegates have spoken that they want Shaibu and I can bet you that the other eight aspirants will support Shaibu if the party backs him. If the party decides to join us in court to argue for Ighodalo then PDP winning Edo State for PDP will be shaky because Asue will not be accepted by the people,” Shaibu said.

From the series of interviews by Shaibu lately, sometimes disparaging Obaseki, many had concluded that he would not survive the political gang-up that is ahead, especially since the governor was now determined to cut him to size and clip his political wings.

Many analysts have suggested that the most prudent way out for him would be to promptly submit his resignation letter, rather than subject himself to the humiliation of impeachment.