For Shaibu, the Chicken Has Come Home to Roost

In his effort to see his governorship ambition through, Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, reconciled with those he had distanced himself from. How this will help his cause is left to be seen, Adibe Emeyonu writes

The Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, stirred the hornet’s nest recently when he apologised to the former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole, over his utterances during the latter face-off with Governor Godwin Obaseki in the run-off to the 2020 governorship election in the state. Shaibu, who spoke during a television programme, said Oshiomhole remained his father despite their political differences.

Obaseki and Oshomhole fell out in 2020 when Obaseki was seeking re-election for a second term. During the face-off, Shaibu backed Obaseki, saying former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC)   could not be playing a godfather. The rift saw Obaseki leaving the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to seek a re-election ticket.

Shaibu stood behind Obaseki against Oshiomhole all through the rift, noting that the former governor was playing godfather when they both never allowed such to happen in Edo State. He launched attacks on Oshiomhole, subjecting him to ridicule and challenging his character and integrity.  

In the 2020 election, Obaseki and Shaibu trounced Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC despite Oshiomhole’s backing and other APC heavyweights, including ex-governor of Lagos State now President, Bola Tinubu, and ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.

Unfortunately, things are currently not rosy between Obaseki and Shaibu, following Shaibu’s ambition to succeed Obaseki. Even though Oshiomhole and Obaseki, who have been sighted at state functions together in recent times, seem to have settled their differences, Shaibu has now become their common enemy.

Addressing his past disagreements with Oshiomhole, Shaibu expressed regret for his choice of language. He affirmed his apology to Oshiomhole and expressed his intention not to repeat such mistakes.

He said: “I express remorse over my choice of words against Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in times past and I insist that the former governor, now a senator at the National Assembly, remains my father despite our political differences.

“People have asked me if I had regrets about my confrontation with Oshiomhole because the governor I supported is now fighting me and I said no, the only thing, I have apologised and I am still apologising to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for is the language I used and that is why I said I don’t want to repeat the same mistake. 

“I regret the language I used but in terms of the principle to support Obaseki, if I still have the opportunity, I will support Obaseki because at that time, that was the right thing to do, it is the language used, and I apologise again to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on the language used.”

On his ambition, he said: “I want to be the next Governor of Edo State not because l am Philip Shaibu, it is my constitutional right. Before publicly declaring my interest in the contest, l had consulted widely with many persons and groups within and outside Edo State. Moreover, l went into prayers to seek guidance and direction from God. The signs l received encouraged me to go ahead with my aspiration, though it was obvious the Governor had his own plans of supporting another person.”

It is not particularly clear why Shaibu who is more of a political orphan and of the PDP, wants to reconcile with the Oshiomhole of the APC when it is obvious that he would not get his support.

Even though they are from the same local government area, Oshiomhole is the political leader of the senatorial zone (Edo North). In the last elections, the APC won the senatorial and House of Representatives seats in the zone, and almost all the state House of Assembly seats.

It is not only Oshiomhole that Shaibu has approached for reconciliation. Recently, he suddenly showed up at a Christmas party hosted by another of his political foe, the PDP South-south Vice Chairman, Chief Dan Osi Orbih, at his country home in Etsako Central Local Government Area of the state on Boxing Day, extolling his leadership qualities and appreciating him for bringing members of the party together. Recall that Obaseki had cut ties with Orbih.

Speaking at the occasion, the deputy governor said: “All of us are here today to celebrate with our national leader speaks volume. lt has further shown his leadership capacity. For a long time, we have not been able to gather like this, having this kind of get-together. For all of us to be here today it’s a clear testament to Chief Dan Orbih’s leadership qualities. This is leadership people can feel and touch. Let everyone subscribe to this kind of leadership, and eschew intimidation that will further divide the party and jeopardize PDP’s chances of retaining Osadebey Avenue, the seat of power.

“Christmas is a period of love and the sharing of love is the greatest of God’s commandments. If you love your neighbour as yourself,  this is the time to show it.  If there are clothes you have not put on for the last three months, wash and press them and look for your neighbour who has none to wear,” Shaibu added.

Earlier, in his Christmas message to the people, Orbih stated: “For me, this is a special occasion since the re-election of our Governor, Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki and our son, the deputy governor, Philip Shaibu.”

Orbih enjoined all the governorship aspirants on the PDP platform to shun political campaign music capable of dividing the party; music like ‘Obaseki pepper dem ooo.’  “The people have really been peppered and we don’t want to see pepper again.”

He continued: “We have all made sacrifices. Obaseki should also know that no sacrifice is too big for the growth of the party. He should be ready to make that sacrifice for the party to remain in Osadebey Avenue, come 2024. While we enjoy the Christmas celebration, I thank you all for coming.”

Despite the obvious fact that his aspiration did not get the desired support and blessing of the governor, he drew the battle line when he declared and threw his hat into the 2024 governorship ring at a colourful ceremony. He boasted before his supporters of defeating Obaseki’s preferred choice, Asue Ighodalo at the February 2024 governorship primaries. 

It is not particularly clear why Shaibu who is more of a political orphan and of the PDP, wants to reconcile with the Oshiomhole of the APC when it is obvious that he would not get his support.

Though they are from the same local government area, Oshiomhole is the political leader of the senatorial zone (Edo North). In the last elections, the APC won the senatorial and House of Representatives seats in the zone, and almost all the state House of Assembly seats.

Many gathered that the deputy governor’s effort to reconcile with Orbih is based on the assumption that the PDP South-south zonal vice chairman stands a good chance to stop the governor from imposing his candidate, Asue Ighodalo, on PDP.

There is no doubt that Shaibu is walking a tightrope. The same Obaseki he had strenuously defended is currently moving against him in his efforts to stop him from succeeding him. So far, there is nothing the governor has done to strangulate his decision. After stripping him of some functions, Obaseki had relocated the deputy governor’s office from the Government House.

Currently, the crisis between the two has 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. The amount represents a significant drop from the N650 million allocated to the office of the deputy governor in the second quarter of 2022.

Shaibu had also recently complained that he has not received his salary and allocation to his office for over six months.

Before the 2024 budget was signed into law on December 15, 2023, it was gathered that some lawmakers believed to be loyal to the deputy governor had opposed the decision of the members of the assembly to pass the budget as presented by the governor which they said was an “unfair appropriation” but that they were overwhelmed by the Speaker, Hon Blessing Agbebaku and others.

 A peep into the budget as passed showed that the sum of N19,148,177,584 was approved for the governor while the deputy governor was allocated the sum of N345,522,729. The office of the Secretary to State Government (SSG) had N8, 847,647,676, the office of the Head of Service (HoS) N968,000,000 while the House of Assembly had the sum of N13,074,500,000

A politician, who is close to the governor said the camp of the governor has taken a vow to strangulate Shaibu financially in a bid to frustrate his governorship aspiration.

A principal member of the Edo State House of Assembly while explaining the slash of the deputy governor’s budget for 2024 said: “The sum allocated to the office of the deputy governor is not small. The deputy governor is contesting elections and you know what it takes to contest; he will have no time for official duties, so the governor decided that since he will not do those official work, you cannot allocate such money to the office.”

Despite these, Shaibu has constantly reaffirmed his loyalty to Obaseki, asserting that despite ongoing altercations and deprivation of his constitutional rights, he was committed to supporting the governor and the government to end well and finish strong.

“I have over time been deprived of my constitutional rights as deputy governor. This has not in any way affected my loyalty to the governor. I have had to make lots of personal sacrifices to ensure a good relationship and deliver on our promise to Edo people. Sometimes, one has to play the fool for a relationship to survive,” he said in the television programme.