Shaibu sent packing from Edo Government House amid rift with Obaseki

It appears the crack in the relationship between Governor Godwin Obaseki and his Deputy, Philip Shaibu, has gotten wider as the latest development out of the South-South state claims that the latter will be relocated to a building outside the Government House.

It's no longer news that Obaseki and Shaibu are currently on a warpath over the latter's ambition to clinch the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s ticket for the Edo governorship election in 2024.

However, what appeared like a simmering battle has now boiled to the surface, with the Governor stonewalling every attempt by his Deputy to get his attention.

It'd be recalled that Obaseki's security details prevented Shaibu from getting access to the Governor at a recent church event. Some days after, the Deputy furiously left the venue of an event hosted by the Edo state government after he was not allowed to go in with his aides.

Meanwhile, the latest episode in the unfolding drama is that Shaibu has been thrown out of the Edo Government House, with his new designated office at 7 Dennis Osadebey Avenue, close to the Government House.

The building had hitherto served as the office of the Edo State Public Procurement Office, which was inaugurated by former governor Adams Oshiomhole on December 16, 2014, with the plaque stating the inauguration date still etched by its entrance.

A signboard bearing the inscription, ‘Office of the Deputy Governor,’ is erected at the entrance. As of Friday, September 1, 2023, workers were seen renovating the building and the compound while the renovation had yet to commence on the security post.

One of the workers handling the renovation, who did not give his name, said that the job was expected to be delivered on Monday, ThePunch reports.

“I work for the company handling this renovation of this building. Our job is to deliver the project on Monday as agreed. I do not know how the signboard got to the entrance of the building and I don’t have an idea of what the building will be used for,” the worker was quoted as saying.

Commenting on the development, the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, said, “If there is a government signboard saying so, then it must be so.”