Edo State lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), and Labour Party (LP) are preparing to confront Governor Godwin Obaseki over the “embarrassing and unfair allocation” in the 2024 budget to the office of Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu. Sources reveal that the lawmakers are displeased with the treatment of Shaibu and his office, particularly regarding his 2024 governorship aspiration.
The 2024 budget allocated a mere N300 million to the office of the deputy governor, while the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) received N8.8 billion, the Head of Service received N968 million, the Speaker received N13 billion, and the office of the governor received N19 billion. It is believed that Governor Obaseki is using any means necessary to hinder Shaibu’s political aspirations, but to their surprise, the deputy governor is growing stronger.
A source claims that the 2024 Appropriation Bill, signed into law by Obaseki on December 15, 2023, is just the latest attempt to undermine Shaibu and the office of the deputy governor and that before the passage of the controversial budget, lawmakers were in disagreement over the allocation to the office of the deputy governor, leading to heated arguments at an executive session.
Despite spirited efforts by fair-minded colleagues to rectify the situation, the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, disregarded parliamentary decency at the plenary session.
It appears that Governor Obaseki is determined to financially punish and ridicule Shaibu to hinder his governorship aspirations. However, the Edo lawmakers are prepared to challenge the governor, with the speaker potentially being the first casualty.
The PDP, APC, and LP lawmakers in the Edo Assembly have been meeting regularly and intensifying their efforts to seek justice for Shaibu and his office
