A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State and former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Samson Osagie, has said that the crisis between Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu has been more of motion and no movement.
Osagie said that a lot of things are hyped and not much tangible evidence can be seen. However, I appreciate the fact that the Edo State Government appears to be saying they are doing a lot of reforms in the education sector. How much impact that will make is yet to be seen. There is the Ossiomo electricity project that is above the reach of the common man, which they say is supplying government quarters.
“Basically on major infrastructure like roads, erosion control and educational infrastructure, I don’t think the government has done much to the admiration of the people. The expectations of Edolites of this government have not actually been met. On a scale of one to 10, I’m not sure they can score up to five yet. It’s been more of talks, promises, showmanship than real democratic governance. In the area of compliance with the rule of law and the constitution, this government failed woefully.
He said that it was during its first term – for the larger part – that this government had no functional House of Assembly. The current government decimated that Assembly. That would continue to remain a sore point in the history of the administration; an administration that stopped elected representatives of the people from participating in governance through lawmaking.
“He denied them that opportunity for four years, and I think that was a dent on the democratic credentials of this government. It’s something not worth emulating at all. It is not also uncommon to hear that this government has been the most intolerant of opposition’s views. So, I do not think this government has met the threshold of the expectations that Edo people have of it.
“You may call what’s going on as drama, but I will call it karma. As far as I’m concerned, what is happening between the first two citizens of Edo State is not unexpected. I expect they would come to this level of launching a war against one another, because they were men driven by selfish ambition, arrogance and an unbridled power mongering. I knew from day one that their team would not have it smooth.
“Look at what they did to the former governor (Oshiomhole); if they could do all that to their predecessor, why are you expecting that things will be well with them? They must fight each other because they were both driven by ambition and unbridled power mongering.
“When people occupy public offices and they take power to a level that makes them disloyal and lack humility, they are bound to run into this type of crisis. So, it’s karma at play, because there is no scintilla of evidence to show that these people appreciate what the power the Edo people gave them is meant for. You call it drama, but I call it karma.
Osagie said that though the unconfirmed reports have it that the deputy governor wanted to defect to APC and Oshiomhole said APC is not for internally displaced politicians, I am not the spokesman for Comrade Oshiomhole; he is the leader of the party in Edo State.
“If he made that comment it was within a context. But in Nigeria, I know politicians move from one party to the other, so, if Comrade Oshiomhole made that statement, it must be within a given context, which he understood. Maybe tomorrow, Philip can find his way into the APC, there is always freedom of entry and exit in political parties. But I believe that given what these men have done to the former governor, it’s not unlikely that that could be his initial reaction.
Kassim Afegbua, Commissioner for Information when Oshiomhole was governor said some time ago that even if Oshiomhole decides to welcome Shaibu into the APC, his supporters would not welcome him because of what he did to the former governor.
“It’s not unlikely. These two people are driven by inordinate ambition and power mongering, and given the way they started their administration by launching attacks against the political party that brought them up, it was just a matter of time for them to disagree and begin the type of ridiculous fight we are seeing now. For me, it’s not a surprise. I predicted it. I knew it was going to happen, and it was only going to be a matter of time.
“Honestly, the Obaseki/Shaibu matter is not what I really want to speak about because it’s not worth dissipating energy on. In the history of governance in Edo State, this is the first time a deputy governor is suing a governor to prevent his removal and the first time a deputy governor in the state is being relocated from his office. It shows the level of intolerance of the dramatis personae at the helm of affairs in Edo State.
“So, I can’t judge him whether he acted badly or wrongly, I am not his legal adviser, so I don’t know what he saw. He has a lawyer. But the point is that ultimately all these go to show that it is not the interest of Edo people that matters most to both men but their personal interest and continuous hold on power. That was a recipe for crisis.
“If they care about the people, they will not go to the extent of creating unnecessary tension in the land, an action that is capable of distracting any reasonable government. Meanwhile, we are not talking about how to develop Edo State; we are talking about how both men want to retain power. The governor is showing that he’s the governor; the deputy is showing that he’s the deputy governor. It’s just a power tussle between people who have chosen to take the sensibilities of Edo people for a ride. So, I do not have any sympathy for them at all.
