Obaseki vs Shaibu: Who Blinks First?

Politics, they say, is a dirty game. But it is also an unpredictable game. The dirty water of politics is infested with blood-thirsty sharks, ready to swallow anyone in sight. Simply put, it is not a game for the lily-livered. It is a game for the strong-willed.

It is no longer news that the once chummy relationship between Edo State governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu has totally crumbled and what is left between the two former friends is nothing but pieces that would take a long time to fix.

But many have doubts if it can ever be fixed at all. Greed, selfishness, betrayal and lack of trust have taken over the once amicable friendship that many had in the past envied and wondered could exist in Nigeria’s politics.

Many would recall that in 2020 during the preparation for the second term governorship election, the deputy showed his unflinching loyalty to his boss against all odds. Shaibu, who was a member of the Edo State House of Assembly, was a key ally of former Governor Oshiomhole. He assisted the then governor to fight against the then formidable Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers who refused to pass the 2009 budget.

It was in February 2010 that Shaibu and other lawmakers elected on the platform of the then-ruling All Progressives Congress, APC fought and drove out their PDP counterparts. Though he was a member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Shaibu was widely regarded as the de facto deputy governor to Oshiomhole. He had already won his election to represent his constituency at the House of Representatives in 2015 when he was nominated by Oshiomhole to be the running mate to Obaseki in the 2016 governorship election.

However, it was the preparation for the APC primary ahead of the 2019 general elections that further strengthened the relationship between Shaibu and Obaseki.

Before the war, Shaibu wielded so much power in the state. But this ended abruptly. This was done to reduce his influence in the state. It was also revealed that the governor had advised his deputy to allow them to focus on governance and play politics at the appropriate time.

Sources revealed that the governor was not in support of Shaibu’s ambition to succeed him and that the decision has to do with the subsisting power rotation or zoning arrangement in the state.

Edo Central is favoured to produce the next governor. So, Shaibu who is of Etsako extraction from Edo North, is not suitable, in the governor’s opinion. This definitely did not go down with Shaibu who claimed that the governor had earlier in 2023 promised to support his ambition.

However, the former student union leader has vowed to fight to the last.