Ben Ogbemudia, Abuja
Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, on Monday, called on the people of the state and Nigerians to ignore the statement issued by Mr. Chris Nehikhare, Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation against his resumption of office as ordered by a court.
Shaibu said ordinarily, he wouldn’t have responded to Nehikhare and his co-travelers, but for the unsuspecting members of the public who may have been misled by the said statement.
He said for the benefit of doubt, the issue of the purported impeachment had since been laid to rest by the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a landmark ruling by Honourable Justice James Omotosho.
Shaibu said the court declared that the Office of the Deputy Governor was never vacant, as the actions of the State House of Assembly and the state government were illegal, null, and void.
According to him, “To be clear, the court judgment that reinstated Comrade Shaibu as Deputy Governor was declarative and must be abided by (obey before complain). The judgment perpetually restrained the state government and its agents from preventing His Excellency from performing his duties as the only Deputy Governor of the state.
“We are not surprised that Mr. Nehikhare is insisting that Rt Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu remains impeached as Deputy Governor. He(Nehikhare) doesn’t read and couldn’t have known better. Nehikhare lives in self-denial. However, for his own benefit, we invite Mr. Commissioner to study the court judgment.
“We wish to restate that the so-called stay of execution cited by the Commissioner does not exist anywhere. We have, at different fora, challenged the state government to publish the purported stay order, but till date, nothing has been heard from them in that regard, as there is no stay of execution order obtained from any court.
“The judgment reinstating Comrade Shaibu was declarative and has to be carried out before an appeal over the matter could be heard. While the stay of judgment execution filed by the state cannot see the light of day until the judgment is executed. In other words, a motion for a stay of execution does not automatically translate to a restraining order; a law court of competent jurisdiction has to sit, hear the prayers before even granting one.
“As it stands, Mr. Marvellous Omobayo Godwins is the impersonator here and liable to contempt of the court order. Besides, the judgment reinstating His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, had barred even the governor from interfering with his duties as Deputy Governor.
“We advise Mr. Nehikhare and agents of the state government to wait for their purported request for a stay of execution to be heard by the court on September 24, 2024, under Honorable Justice James Omotosho, as widely publicised, before rushing to the press to issue statements and press releases.
“Again, we wish to remind the Commissioner of a pending N50 billion defamation and contempt of court suit hanging on his neck and that of Mr. Cruose Osagie, Governor’s Special Adviser on Media Project. Nehikhare is making a statement that Mr. Godwin Obaseki will not be there to help him by the time we are in court, and he should stop, in his own interest. But if he is so adamant, we dare him to issue more statements on the matter on an official letterhead, under his name.”
