Former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has offered his perspective on the purported plans by the Deputy Governor of the state, Philip Shaibu, to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Oshiomhole shared his thoughts on Thursday in Benin, the capital of Edo State, while responding to inquiries from journalists.
In a backdrop of events, on July 28, Shaibu took legal action by filing a suit at a federal high court in Abuja to forestall an alleged impeachment scheme against him. The lawsuit named several individuals, including the Inspector-General of Police, the State Security Service, the Edo State Governor, the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, and the Chief Judge of Edo State, as defendants. In his plea, the deputy governor requested the court to halt the governor, the assembly speaker, and the chief judge from instigating impeachment proceedings or endorsing any such action against him. Shaibu accused the governor of obstructing his constitutionally mandated responsibilities.
In response to the lawsuit, Governor Obaseki speculated that Shaibu’s legal maneuver was a preemptive strategy ahead of his move to the APC. Obaseki refuted any intention to impeach his deputy and asserted that Shaibu had been actively engaging with members of the APC at both the national and state levels, seemingly to negotiate his entry into the ruling party. Subsequently, on August 4, the court issued an injunction that restrained Obaseki, the assembly speaker, and other parties from initiating any impeachment proceedings against Shaibu.
On Thursday, the court reiterated that the parties involved in Shaibu’s lawsuit should maintain the existing state of affairs until the next hearing date. Addressing the ongoing political developments, Oshiomhole remarked that the APC should not be viewed as a “rehabilitation center.” He further observed that the frequent shifts in party allegiances highlight the only consistent factor being Nigeria itself.
Oshiomhole, the former national chairman of the APC, expressed skepticism about the court’s jurisdiction over the alleged impeachment of Shaibu, citing uncertainty about how the court could adjudicate mere suspicions. He expressed his desire for Edo to be governed harmoniously, regardless of party affiliations, in the interest of the nation.
Clarifying his stance on defections, Oshiomhole emphasized that the APC was content with its current state and was not inclined to accept politicians who were joining due to electoral defeats. He firmly stated that the APC was not an Internal Displacement Persons (IDP) camp for politicians who had lost their political footing elsewhere.
In essence, the situation centers around the Deputy Governor’s legal actions to safeguard his position amid rumors of defection, which Oshiomhole weighed in on, asserting the APC’s stability and skepticism about the court’s role in addressing suspicions of impeachment.
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