Edo Crisis: My experience of being refused access to Abuja liaison official vehicles- Shaibu

Comrade Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor of Edo State, and Governor Godwin Obaseki’s division grew on Monday when the latter said he was refused access to the state’s official cars at the Abuja Liaison Office for the purpose of driving him to Auchi, the state’s Etsako West Local Government Area headquarters.

Read Also: Obaseki fires the deputy governor’s press assistants, the Edo crisis worsens

Speaking at the annual Auchi Day celebration in 2024 at Auchi’s Palace of the Otaru, Shaibu denounced the move as “an attempt to ridicule the Office of the Deputy Governor.”

The deputy governor emphasised that the position, which he said must be maintained and honoured, was the subject of the “ugly situation,” not him personally.

Shaibu specifically mentioned Deacon Festus Osaigbovo, the State Government Liaison Officer in Abuja, as the government official who refused him use of the official vehicles from Abuja to Auchi on the grounds that there was not enough fuel and that he needed a Hilux van to transport his security. Shaibu had announced in December of last year that he had not received any allocation to his office for six months running.

However, the beleaguered deputy governor claims that the liaison officer chose to help him (Shaibu) hire a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) for N250,000.

“I requested a car from the liaison officer so that I could travel to Auchi and take part in Auchi Day Celebration this year. Regretfully, he began offering me a variety of justifications as to why he could not provide the vehicles.

He discussed petrol and the lack of a Hilux for my protection before stating that the only thing he could do for me was to hire an SUV to drive me to Auchi, which he estimated would cost N250,000.

Nevertheless, I made it to Auchi since I was committed to taking part in this event. It’s a depressing observation since, as a government, we ought to model reverence for the establishment rather than make fun of it.

Shaibu lamented, “We may not be here tomorrow as government officials, but the institution remains for generations yet unborn.”

When contacted, Osaigbovo refuted the accusation, claiming that in addition to providing the deputy governor with cars, he also included a protocol officer in the group travelling from Abuja to Auchi.

When Osigbovo called the aforementioned protocol officer, he not only confirmed that the necessary logistics had been provided, but he also hinted that the vehicles had developed faults on the way back to Abuja, which he added had been fixed, and that they were about to leave Okene to resume the journey back to Abuja.

It’s untrue. Osaigbovo continued, “I even assigned a protocol officer to go with them.