Fresh tussle in Edo after Shaibu resumes office as Dep Gov

The reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has resumed duty after the Federal High Court judgement which nullified his impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly.

Shaibu in a video posted on his X handle on Monday also directed his staff yet to resume work since his reinstatement to do so or face the consequences.

He also warned banks carrying out transactions with the Office of the Deputy Governor without his consent, describing such transactions as illegal.

Shaibu said his resumption was in adherence to the constitution.

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“In adherence to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, I announce my official resumption to office,” he added in the video.

He said the judgement of the Federal High Court which reinstated him indicated that his office had never been vacant.

Shortly after the broadcast, Governor Godwin Obaseki, said Shaibu was impersonating Deputy Governor and should be disregarded.

“It has come to the attention of the Edo State Government that the former Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has been carrying out correspondence with different institutions and organisations both within and outside the State in a clear case of impersonation,” he said.

The state government, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, said, “in the interest of the safety of these organizations, we want to restate that Shaibu is not the Deputy Governor of Edo State and every correspondence from him in that regard should be disregarded and considered a forgery.”

He said the issue of his purported reinstatement is still active in court and the next hearing for the two separate motions filed by the state government and the Edo House of Assembly challenging his purported reinstatement by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court is fixed for September 24 , 2024.

He said the status quo is that Omobayo Marvelous Godwins remains the deputy governor of Edo State and any correspondence carried out by any other person, including Philip Shaibu is an act of impersonation.

“Security agencies are, by this notice, alerted to the potential breach of peace and are urged to hold Philip Shaibu responsible for any security breach in the State arising from his ignoble actions,” he added.

Responding to the governor through his media office, Shaibu noted that the issue of the purported impeachment had since been laid to rest by the court.

He said the court declared that the Office of the Deputy Governor was never vacant, as the actions of the State House of Assembly and state government were illegal, null, and void.

“To be clear, the court judgment that reinstated Comrade Shaibu as Deputy Governor was declarative and must be abided by (obey before complain). The judgment perpetually restrained the state government and its agents from preventing His Excellency from performing his duties as the only Deputy Governor of the state.

“As it stands, Mr. Marvellous Omobayo Godwins is the impersonator here and liable to contempt of the court order. Besides, the judgement had barred even the governor from interfering with his duties as Deputy Governor,” he said.

He however advised Nehikhare and agents of the state government to wait for “their purported request” for a stay of execution to be heard by the court on September 24, 2024.