Edo state governor , Godwin Obaseki has disbanded the media crew attached to the deputy governor,Philip Shaibu,over what he believed was unacceptable behaviour on the path of his deputy.
Shaibu had staged a walk-out at the 60th anniversary of the Midwest Referendum in Benin city after the Department of State Services DSS personnel attached to the governor prevented the aides of the Deputy Governor from entering the venue.
The disbandment is contained In a statement issued by Chris Nehikhare, commissioner of information on Monday evening.
The statement said ” Edo State Government has disbanded the media crew attached to the Office of the Deputy Governor, with a directive to the Deputy Governor to henceforth request the Ministry Communication and Orientation for media coverage of activities of his office”
The commissioner said the directive was due to the “ugly and unfortunate” incident during the colloquium .
Nehikhare said the “orchestrated and stage-managed walkout” of Shaibu and his aides at the event was “highly regrettable”.adding that the press crew of the Deputy Governor breached protocol as they tried to force their way into the venue
“This act was contrary to the accreditation protocol that had been established for media coverage of the event,” he said.
Obaseki and Shaibu have been at loggerheads since July when the later, reportedly approached the court to stop plots to unseat him,an accusation his principal publicly denied .
On Sunday August 27 Shaibu attended a Thanksgiving service at the Festival Hall of the Government House to mark 32 years of the state creation but an operative of the DSS prevented him from seeing Obaseki.
. The governor had in the wake of Shaibu ‘s restraining order stopping his impeachment linked the cold war between the two to vaulting political ambition on the path of his deputy.
Shaibu is said to be gunning for the office of the governor which the governor said should be zoned to Edo Central on the premise that Shaibu and Adam’s Oshiomole come from the same zone and have had their turn.
Governorship election is expected to hold in Edo state in 2024 before the expiration of Obaseki’s tenure on 12 November same year.
