Obaseki vs Shaibu: 3 Signs of Eventual Victory for Impeached Deputy Gov
- Philip Shaibu, the impeached Edo deputy governor, seems to have some weapons to fight the state government with
- First, some APC bigwigs in Edo, including the chairman, Emperor Jaret Tenebe, appear to be on good terms with Shaibu
- Also, concerning his impeachment, some factors might work against the state House of Assembly's move as it was made despite a pending case filed by Shaibu in court
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Edo - Currently, things seem to be looking down for the recently impeached deputy governor of Edo state, Philip Shaibu.
Shaibu is not only embattled by the executive arm of the state government led by Governor Godwin Obaseki; he also has to face in court the House of Assembly, whose members impeached him.
While all these are going on, not much has been heard from the Edo chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Shaibu's behalf or at least on his impeachment.
Source: Twitter
However, a close and objective observation of the issues reveals factors that might work in Shaibu's favour eventually both in terms of his mission to challenge his impeachment in court and the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.
Possible APC partnership
Even before he was impeached, there have been suspicions that Shaibu has been working underground with the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state ahead of the state.
Shaibu himself confirmed the suspicion recently when he met the chairman of the APC in Edo, Emperor Jaret Tenebe, in his Abuja residence.
Referring to Tenebe as "my chairman" more than once during the meeting, Shaibu argued that he was impeached because there was a growing fear of what he could achieve by partnering with the APC.
“I can assure you, my chairman, I call you my chairman because you are already my chairman and I think you are also one of the reasons they hurriedly did what they did because they know what it takes for you and me to be together and they thought they could use impeachment to get me to succumb but you know that I won’t succumb."
Given that Shaibu has the backing of heavyweights in Edo APC as the election draws near, things might turn out in his favour one way or the other.
This is as he has been an APC chieftain all along until 2020 when he joined his former principal, Governor Obaseki, to defect to the PDP. And while the ruling party in Edo, PDP, can boast of state might, the APC has federal power to make things happen for its own interest.
Edo 2024: PDP's position on Shaibu
Aside from the APC factor, Philip Aivoji, the chairman of the Lagos state chapter of the PDP had said that Shaibu is still eligible to run for governor.
In a statement on Tuesday, April 9, Aivoji advised the impeached deputy governor to have patience with the leadership of the PDP.
He noted in his statement:
“Whatever happens, no one ever can tell, he (Shaibu) can still become the governor in the future. He should not leave the party.
“That is my advice because it is the party that brought him up. When he became the deputy governor, there were millions of people who could have become the deputy governor before the party picked him.
“Since this has happened, he should look for a way of mending fences to actualise his dream of becoming the governor. He can still become the governor.”
This leads one to suspect that the national leadership of the PDP may be sympathetic towards Shaibu and probably step in for him.
Shaibu's impeachment notice
Away from the coming election, one key weapon Shaibu may use against the Edo state House of Assembly is the claim that he is yet to be served an impeachment notice.
Shaibu had claimed, during his meeting with Tenebe, that no one served him any impeachment notice.
His words:
“By the grace of God, I know the judiciary will do the needful because it is an impeachment that I have not been served."
If, by any chance, this is true and remains so, it can nullify the impeachment.
Aside from this, the Edo State governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Dr. Udoh Oberaifo, has raised a serious case against the impeachment.
The AAC candidate, who on Monday, April 8, noted that Shaibu was not given a fair hearing, described the impeachment as a blatant disregard for the principles of justice.
His words:
“Of particular concern is the fact that the impeachment proceeded despite a pending case filed by the Deputy Governor at the Federal High court.
“This legal action should have warranted a status quo, yet the impeachment was carried out regardless, casting doubts on the motives behind the hurried proceedings."
"Why we impeached Shaibu", Edo lawmakers
The Edo House of Assembly had accused Shaibu, of leaking government secrets. The assembly also said this informed its impeachment process against him.
Legit.ng reported that Edo has witnessed a political crisis since 2023 after Shaibu fell out with the governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki.
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Source: Legit.ng
