The reinstated Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has responded to the impersonation allegation levelled against him by the State’s Government.
Recall that the Governor Godwins Obaseki’s administration had accused Shaibu of imposture, arguing that the court judgment, which returned him had been appealed and a stay of execution obtained.
The state government said that the estranged deputy governor is trying to destabilise Obaseki’s government and to cause chaos.
Reacting to the development in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, Shaibu’s Chief Press Secretary, Musa Ebomhiana, berated the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, over the impersonation allegation.
Ebomhiana described Obaseki’s claim as an affront on the judiciary and a clear violation of the valid court judgment.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, describing the state Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, as ‘an impostor.’
“To say the least, the statement, in its entirety, is an affront to the judiciary, and a clear violation of a valid court order of July 17, 2024, as delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the FCT Federal High Court.
READ MORE: Shaibu Impersonating Deputy Gov, Ignore Him – Edo Govt
“We also view it as an insult to the people of Edo State who overwhelmingly voted for the Godwin Obaseki/Philip Shaibu joint ticket in the governorship election of September 2020. It’s a known fact that the Edo people never voted for Marvellous Omobayo as their deputy governor.
“So, Nehikhare should know, except if he wants to be mischievous, Omobayo is the impostor who should stop parading himself as the Edo State deputy governor because he was never voted for.
“Both parties must obey the judgment, pending the determination of the stay of execution by the same court.
“However, we are not surprised by this brazen display of executive lawlessness and rascality by the Edo State government. If the head is rotten, then what does one expect of the body itself?
“Obaseki is one governor who is well known for his disdain for the judiciary and flagrant disrespect for judicial pronouncements.
“Erroneously, he also believes that every man has a price. He was said to have boasted several times at various quarters that Omobayo remains his deputy governor until he serves out his term as Edo State governor.
“Unfortunately, Governor Godwin Obaseki has behaved as if he is a law unto himself, especially since the July 17 court judgment which reinstated Comrade Philip Shaibu as the deputy governor of Edo State after his purported impeachment by the state House of Assembly in April 2024.”
