Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu Denied Access to Office Amidst Ongoing Feud with Governor Obaseki

By Iyojo Ameh

The protracted feud between Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Mr. Philip Shaibu, has escalated as Mr. Shaibu was denied access to his office at the Government House in Benin, the state capital.

Sources report that Mr. Shaibu arrived at the Government House early Monday morning only to find the gate leading to his office locked. The deputy governor expressed his frustration, stating that he had not received any formal communication from the governor’s office regarding the relocation to a new office.

“Up till now, I don’t have any official communication that I should relocate.

The only people that have official communication are my civil servants. The civil servants have official communication, but I don’t. As I am speaking to you now, I am standing by the gate,” Mr. Shaibu conveyed during a phone call with an unidentified person.

The ongoing dispute took a new twist last week when a letter, purportedly from the office of the Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa, directed Mr. Shaibu to relocate to a new office located at No 7, Dennis Osadebey Avenue, GRA, Benin City. However, sources close to Mr. Shaibu have claimed that the new office is in a state of abandonment and requires significant rehabilitation.

This development is the latest episode in the face-off between Governor Obaseki and his deputy. Speculations about plans to impeach Mr. Shaibu have been circulating, but the Edo State Assembly has denied such allegations.

The ongoing feud between the governor and his deputy continues to garner public attention, and citizens are anxiously awaiting further developments in this political standoff.