By Our Reporter
With barely seven months left to the end of his second term in office, and what seemed like an unending battle of supremacy, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has finally got his wish of ousting his deputy, Philips Shuaibu and getting himself a brand new deputy governor in his place in the person of 38 year old Omobayo Godwins.
To Obaseki’s satisfaction, the newly-sworn-in Deputy Governor of Edo State, Omobayo Godwins, has pledged his unalloyed loyalty to his principal, saying he will not drag power with Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Godwins, who also pledged to have a cordial working relationship with his boss, the Governor, said he looked forward to working more closely with the Governor until the end of his eight year double terms on November 12, 2024.
Godwins made this pledge in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.
Godwins said he is learning on the job and won’t hesitate to do all that his principal instructs him to do.
He said, “Whatever he say I should is what I will do. He knows my strength. So, I will dwell on my strength when it comes to adding value. Politically, I am learning on the job.
“It’s okay with me. Life is a process. At 37+, I am already a deputy governor, it has improved my political outlook and I am not in a rush to drag with my governor.
Godwins boasted that he has robust grassroot support from his base in Akoko Edo, one of the local governments in the Edo North Senatorial District, to boost the chances of Ighodalo, who hails from Ewohimi in the Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo Central Senatorial District.
On Shaibu’s impeachment, he said, “That is politics for you. Your job first of all is to be loyal.
Meanwhile, Shaibu has rejected his impeachment by the lawmakers, describing it as a threat to democracy.
“This is not just an attack on me as an individual but on the democracy that we hold dear,” he said
“It is a dangerous descent into dictatorship and a threat to the foundation of our democracy. Let it be clear that this impeachment was hatched because of my ambition to contest the Edo State 2024 governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. An ambition that is a legal right to all citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Shaibu was Obaseki’s deputy from November 12, 2016 till April 8, 2024 when he was impeached following a long-running political dispute between the two former political allies.
Obaseki and Shaibu had been at loggerheads. The governor had accused Shaibu of
planning a “coup” to unseat him while the labour leader also accused his principal of instigating the state assembly to impeach him.
Shaibu, who contested the PDP governorship primary, had declared himself a winner in a parallel election after the party announced businessman Ighodalo the party’s flag bearer.
With reports from the Vanguard