By Henry Uche
The embattled impeached deputy governor of Edo State (now reinstated by a High Court), Mr. Philip Shaibu, in a monitored interview on Channels TV, spoke on political developments in the state among other issues.
Give us a sense of what happened a day after the court judgement
It is very unfortunate and I wish the family of the slain police officer accept my condolences and pray that God grants him eternal rest. It’s very sad. It was very unfortunate when we arrived Benin Airport and CP was waiting for me actually because I spoke to him the previous day about the judgment and for enforcement and he promised he was going to his best and when I was leaving I called that I was leaving and he actually waited for me at the airport. And we had our discussions and they said everything was fine and I left. So on our way out, we were told that some persons blocked the gate; both gates of the airport and that some thugs were blocking the gate from allowing us to access the airport. It took almost 30 minutes waiting for a place to be cleared; the soldiers, the airport soldiers were there, I think they eventually opened the gates and we now passed, and immediately we got to airport road, we were welcomed with gun shots, sporadic gun shots by the vigilante network and thugs that were arranged by the state government, and it was very unfortunate and that led to the slain police officer and a passer-by. Some wounded supporters, it was very unfortunate. I’m not shocked that, that happened because I know that is synonymous to them and that’s why if you watch all through, for over one year this crisis began, I made sure I avoid going to the street to protest. In fact, I spent my time and money to stop my people from going to protest on the street because I know it will lead to death because I know what these characters around the governor can do. And that’s why if you check, many people say that Philip is no longer protesting, he is so quiet because I didn’t want to, my mind tells me if I allow my people to go and protest the injustice to protest meted to me for the past one year, there will be deaths and that’s why I took the Legal means to drive home my point and fight for my right. But even at that, yesterday I got Intel that the governor has told his men that they must not allow me into town. But I’m a free born of Edo State. Nobody can stop me from entering Edo State, the constitution does not allow anybody to bar me from entering Edo State, not even when I’m the deputy governor. Even if I’m a common man, I shouldn’t be barred from entering my state, that’s what the constitution says, but I didn’t know that he will arm them that much. I just remember the governor saying, when this crisis begun, when I declared to contest for the governor, he said if I continue he will destroy me; he used the word “if you continue I will destroy you”, so with what happened yesterday, it was obvious that it was an assassination attempt to actualize that statement he made that he was going to destroy me, and I’ve gone to Mother Mary. I’m a Catholic, I have prayed to God that only God that can destroy man, that’s why I decided that I will fight and see the end of this election campaign and everything and I made up my mind to contest it and even when they did the purported impeachment, I made up my mind I was going to fight for the sanctity and sanity of the office of deputy governor so that by the time it’s completely over, everyone would believe.
Blame game, accusations and counter accusations
When we had the primaries, the same governor gave order to stop any protest by anybody close to me because of what they were going to do. I got all the Intel and I took measures to prevent all the people sent to maim us on the day of the primaries. If you go to my official residence, you will see what the vigilante did, they shot at everything, they came in mass, but the luck we had was that it was all injury but there was no death, that was why you didn’t hear about what happened that day. So, they’re synonymous to that. What they do is that in the morning, they put a story through their media (rats) to say, X person wants to do X, in the afternoon, that would happen, because that is how they operate. So, in the morning, they published it through their Media rats that Philip is mobilizing to force his way to resume. When I saw it, I informed the police because I knew what they said was what they wanted to do, but I didn’t know they were going to the airport to do that until we got to the airport. So for me, that is how they would be doing, they’re not organized, because if they are organized, the way and manner of what they do, you can predict it. That’s just their style. How can I organize boys to shoot me or shoot my men? Does that make sense? Tell me, as I’m celebrating victory God has vindicated me, as I celebrate, I go and organize thugs against myself to attack me, what would I achieve with it? How possible is that?
Have you resumed in your office?
Yes, I have resumed the office I was before the purported impeachment. I have written to the governor that I’m back and I’m restating all my political appointees to the office, not that I’m doing fresh appointment, because the judgement said the office of the deputy governor was never vacant, so I have started work where they left me before.
We have two Emirs in Kano, in Rivers we have two State Assemblies, in Edo, two deputies….
No, there are no two deputies in Edo State.
What happened to the stay of Execution?
I have the declarative judgment of the court with me. If you follow the law, you cannot stay a declarative judgement. But even if you want stay, ask them to show you the document of their own judgement, as I’m doing it right now. Because we must go through the same Court that gave me this judgement, let them show you. You are telling me you want to do this and I have not granted it, you cannot act yet, it can’t act as stay. Immediately this judgement was given, one hour after they sent Crusoe to write that they have appealed and have got a stay, one hour after, whereas this judgement came out yesterday. Maybe it’s in the spirit world that they saw the judgement and now appealing it in the spiritual, but in the physical, they don’t have any stay of execution.
Must a stay be granted before it is executed; is that what your lawyers told you?
These guys are just lawless people. The justice gave two judgements that day. The first against me and Ighodalo, the second judgement was my reinstatement. And I have not seen the one given against me to study it and give to my lawyers to know if we are going to appeal it or not. These people very lawless; they have not seen this judgment at all, they’re already telling you that they have stayed execution. As I speak, the governor has gone to Abuja looking for how to get a stay of execution.
I can bet you, let them bring a motion for a stay of execution. I’m not a lawyer, I was a lawmaker, I can bet you, he does not have a stay. As long as this judgement is concerned, there was never vacancy in the office of the deputy governor and there will not be any vacancy in the office of the deputy governor till November 11. I challenge them to show us the order of stay of execution. They don’t have it.
Is your argument based on until the stay is granted?
It’s not enforceable, they should be lawful. They should follow the process. As a government, our duty is to abide by the rule of law. In 2016 when the governor and I started this campaign into the government house, one of the things the governor promised was that there will be law and order, and if we promised law and order cannot follow simple judgment, the rest is history and you know what that means, that means a failure on our side.
But you know that, they would definitely appeal so it’s not over until it’s over
You can appeal, I’m not against them appealing, I’m also studying the order, whether I will appeal, but you must obey this declarative judgement. Immediately the pronouncement was made, I’m reinstated automatically and if you must appeal, you will follow the process and until that appeal is granted, it remains like that, and if you want to apply for a stay, until that stay is granted. Before the judge grants that stay, he would check if that stay would be injurious to the person the judgement is given, before the judge will take a decision, and until the judge grants that, application for a stay does not act as a stay itself. I’ve told you that the law as I’m told and by knowledge and by Supreme Court judgment where this case may end up, you must obey a declarative judgment, and if you must get to stay, you must go back to the same court that granted this,
And ask for stay and until it is granted, my lawyers told me if the judge sees that the stay would be injurious to me, he would not grant it. If not, it would be granted, and until they get it. So for me, it’s just an act of lawlessness. The judgement stated here that the governor, his aides or whosoever should not interfere in the discharge of my duty. Already they are interfering.
How do you intend to work in an intense atmosphere?
I can walk in any atmosphere, I was the coordinator of Abacha must go during the military. And I was able to coordinate and still passed my exams, so I am somebody that can multitask and I’ll do very well in. As the deputy governor of Edo State, and the constitution defined my role as the deputy governor and if I am a very loyal person and if I try to work with the governor and he is not ready to work with me, I’ll do the work that the constitution asks me to do. I only have four months to go and these four months will be a very peaceful and by the grace of God will be able to round off our programmes.
You are supporting the APC candidate, have you left the PDP?
You are double – dating, explain to us
I’m fighting for the sanity and sanctity of the office of the deputy governor of Edo State. And I don’t want anybody to defer the office of the deputy governor of Edo State, just as I’ll not want anyone to do same on the office of the governor of Edo State. Both offices are institutions. I’m defending the institution of the office of the deputy governor. I fought for democracy so that people can express themselves freely and be able to choose who governs them and move freely without intimidation nor harassment. One of my cardinal goals was to strengthen the institutions, I’m seeing the institution of the office of the deputy governor being destroyed by the governor for personal gains and that is why I’m fighting to bring back the sanity of that office, not for my personal self. The governor has not paid me for the past one year and I know he is not going to pay me for the remaining four months, no.
The other question, I’m not double dating. You know I learned, when you bear a child or when you have a leader, does anything and you want to pick and choose what you want to pick the one I feel is good. The governor by himself wanted us to support labour and even ask us to support the labour aspirant during the last election. The wife even told us that Atiku and Tinubu never won the election, and I understand, so they did antipathy and when I saw that he did anti- party and nothing happened, and recently the government on your platform said, you can support who you like, so I have the rights now to follow suit. I support anyone I like to, so I’m supporting senator Monday because we do not need a home boy now to be our governor. We don’t need an outsider, so senator Monday and Mr. Akpata are the only two candidates in the top three.
This is anti -party
No, it’s not. The governor was in PDP and still in PDP but supporting Labour. So, what would you say to that? We were all in PDP and we are still PDP yet, he supported labour candidate.
Is that now a practice for labour to be supporting any candidate outside…
They say, follow your leader, so I’m following my leader.
What can be done to bring peace between you and the governor to avoid escalating because election is coming
It’s for the governor to show leadership and show empathy and he should remember we contested to bring law and order and sanity to the state. He must remember we agreed to strengthen institutions, and that is why I have to fight even my father to make sure he wins his second term as governor. That promise must be fulfilled. We must strengthen the institution because these institutions must be strong to live after us; we must benefit from strong institutions, if we don’t strengthen institutions, we will also be victims of not helping the institutions; this institution of the office of the deputy governor must not be destroyed the way the governor wants do.
The post Nobody can stop me from entering Edo –Shaibu, Deputy Governor appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
