PUNCH
Politics is said to be an endeavour where permanent friends and enemies do not exist. What drives those involved in the endeavour is personal interest, which may cause them to fall out with one another if their interests do not align.
More often than not, politicians have shown that they do not have the capacity to manage their differences, which snowballs into bigger problems, with the people they are expected to represent and serve, bearing the brunt of the altercation.
The above can aptly describe what is playing out in Edo State as the rift between the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, seems to be growing wider by the day over the ambition of Shaibu to succeed his principal as well as other “sins” he has committed. The drama playing out between the first two citizens of the state is absurd, as it was just as recent as the mid-last year that they did things together and carried on like blood brothers. They even fought a former governor of the state, Comrade Adam Oshiomhole together with Shaibu taking the lead role in the battle. They accused Oshiomhole of playing godfather, which he (Oshiomhole) vowed to erase from the political space in the state.
Despite the rift, the governor at different fora said he had nothing against Shaibu’s ambition, while Shaibu has also apologised for some of the “wrong moves” he made, but it appears the chaos generated by the rift is not abating.
Trouble started when Shaibu was accused of abandoning the swearing-in of commissioners last year in Benin to attend the inauguration of the National Assembly, where he met and fraternised with a former governor of the state, Oshiomhole, who was not on good terms with Obaseki and Shaibu.
Shaibu also incurred the wrath of his boss when he made public his intention to succeed the governor. At a meeting, the governor was said to have told his close allies of his desire to take the governorship seat to Edo Central, which favours the former chairman of Sterling Bank, Asue Ighodalo, who he is also said to enjoy the backing of the governor.
Fearing a backlash as the rift deepened, Shaibu approached a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop possible impeachment moves against him. In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1027/2023, the Inspector General of Police, the State Security Service, the Governor of Edo State, the Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, and the Chief Judge of Edo State are the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth defendants, respectively. Shaibu sought an interlocutory injunction restraining the 3rd, 4th, and 5th defendants/respondents, or their agents from commencing an impeachment process against him. He also prayed the court to restrain the governor of the state or another person acting on his order from harassing and preventing him from effectively discharging his duties as the state’s deputy governor.
