By Uche Amunike
In a bid to fulfil his promise of resuming official duties, despite opposition from Governor Godwin Obaseki, the reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, Phillip, Shaibu, resumed work, Monday and inspected some ongoing projects in the state capital, Benin, saying that he was ready to work with Obaseki.
However, Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, warned Shaibu through a statement released on Monday, not to disrupt the process of governance and to adhere to the rule of law at all times.
Shaibu toured the capital city and inspected the Museum of West African Art, Sapele Road; the Radisson Blu Hotel and other roads under construction in the state capital.
Speaking, after the inspection, the Deputy Governor stated that the MOWAA project was 80% completed, even as the Central Hospital should have been located on that land. He also said that he had officially resumed duties after being reinstated, and that the issue of reinstatement should be a thing of the past. He maintained that it should not still be in discussion as judgment had been given, and everyone should move forward.
His words: ‘The issue is whether I can work with Obaseki. Can I work with him? Yes, I can, but he cannot work with me. The Office of the Deputy Governor is not subordinate to Obaseki. It’s an office created by the Constitution.’
‘Until the distinction between the Office of the Governor and the Office of the Deputy Governor, as well as the constitutionality of the latter, is understood, there will continue to be issues. I am a Deputy Governor, and my role is clearly defined. There was never a time I ceased to be the Deputy Governor. It’s an elective post, not an appointment.’
‘I have two Certificates of Return. I will be touring the state over the next two weeks, starting with Edo South, then Central, and finally North, to check what we have accomplished. A new sheriff is in town, and we must ensure a proper handover. That’s where we are. I am doing my work as the Deputy Governor of Edo State’, he averred.
He encouraged the people of Edo State to ignore the press statements that have been released from outside the country, stating that he was not deterred in anyway.
When he was asked if the museum would be converted back to a hospital, he replied: ‘I am not the governor-elect. The governor-elect will decide what to do with the museum when he assumes office as the Governor of Edo State. My role as Deputy Governor is to discharge my duties accordingly.’
‘I have come to inspect what is going on here at the museum. We visited other projects too. Administratively, there are issues that need to be sorted out. There are administrative issues at Radisson Blu that need to be addressed.’
‘In the next six weeks, we have to put things in proper perspective so that the next sheriff will know where we are. I am doing my work as Deputy Governor. I am on the ground, not in exile’, he stated.
The Edo State Government has however warned Philip Shaibu not to violate extant laws. In the statement released by Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, he maintained that Shaibu was allowed to ‘take a tour of the exceptional projects of Governor Godwin Obaseki, just like any private citizen’, reiterating that he shouldn’t carry out actions that violate the laws and the constitution.
Hear him: ‘Shaibu should be patient and wait for the Appeal Court to hear his matter; he needs to learn to subject himself to the authority of the law.’
The Edo State government urged the people to go about their lawful businesses as they continue to ensure protection of life and property, according to extant laws in the state.
