Tensions in Edo State appear to be escalating as the deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, may potentially be relocated to a separate building outside the Government House. This move is further straining the already tense relationship between Shaibu and the state governor, Godwin Obaseki.
It was observed on Saturday that the new office for the deputy governor is located at No. 7, Dennis Osadebey Avenue, near the Government House.
The dispute between the state’s top two officials came into the spotlight when Shaibu sought to stop his impeachment through a request filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja. However, both the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, and Governor Obaseki denied this action.
The building in question was used to house the Edo State Public Procurement Office, which was commissioned by a former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole, on December 16, 2014. A signboard reading ‘Office of the Deputy Governor’ has been placed at the entrance, and workers were observed renovating the building and the compound, although work had not yet started at the security post.
Commenting on this development, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, stated, “If there is a government signboard saying so, then it must be so.”
