Contentions over the reinstatement of the impeached Deputy Governor of Edo State, Phillip Shaibu, have generated more controversies, giving indications of more legal battles.
This is as contending sides on Friday threatened to explore legal actions to fight their courses.
Speaking on the side of Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, who fell out with Shaibu, his Chief Press Secretary, Crusoe Osagie, on Friday accused Shaibu of sponsoring thugs, stating the course to appeal the judgment reinstating Shaibu has commenced.
Osagie and Shaibu who both appeared on Friday at different sessions of interviews on Arise TV Morning Show Programme, differed on the judgment of the court and the Thursday attack which left one police officer reportedly attached to the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Monday Okpebholo, dead and others injured.
While Osagie claimed a stay of execution order obtained from a court was presented to Shaibu by the Commissioner of Police in Edo, Funsho Adegboye, at the airport when he arrived in Benin on Thursday shortly after the judgment was obtained, Shaibu maintained that there was no stay of execution order obtained from any court as at the time he arrived Benin on Thursday.
Shaibu, who said he arrived Benin in a flight just about an hour after the court judgement was obtained, ruled out any possibility of obtaining a stay of execution order on Thursday within that duration of time.
He said, “The Commissioner of Police met me and I showed him the judgment and he told me that they told him, according to him, that they filed a stay of execution and they’ve gotten stay and they have appealed.
“At that time, I told him that as at the time they were telling you they filed, immediately I got that judgment, 10 minutes after I got the judgment, it was on the air that they have gotten a stay of execution and that they have appealed and the enrolling order for this judgment came in yesterday (Thursday) not the day before.
“We didn’t get this judgment until yesterday, but they started telling the whole world that they’ve gotten stay on the day of judgment. That’s to tell you the level of deceit that they carried out.
“They don’t have a stay of execution. If they have, let them show it. This judgment came out yesterday, and this judgment is declaratory.”
Shaibu added, “First, what Crusoe is saying, I have already asked my lawyers to file contempt and to also file defamation of character and I’m sure they will be going to court today to file that because what he has just done is contemptious.”
The embattled deputy governor threatened to slam all Obaseki’s aides who refused to honour the court judgement with contempt charge.
“The judgment that we had barred even the governor from interfering with my duties as deputy governor. He (the governor) and his executives, or whoever is close to the governor, the declaratory judgment barred them from interrupting my movement.
“Crusoe and the Commissioner for Information don’t know what they are doing now. When they see that judgment, they must, within seven days, retract what they’ve said. If they do not say that, I’ve directed my lawyers to file defamation, and they will also file contempt charges because they are going against the court judgment,” he said.
On the controversies over the “stay of execution” order, Shaibu said, “No document was shown to me. The CP doesn’t have any document… He said I heard they said they have gotten a stay of execution and I told him CP this judgment is declaratory and if they must appeal, they must obey first, and if they say they have a stay, it is not true because this judgment just came an hour ago.
“So for you to file an appeal and get a stay, they must have transmitted documents. The first thing is that you must have this judgment first before you use the content of the judgment to file.”
Meanwhile, speaking on Thursday’s attack, Osagie claimed that Shaibu sponsored the shooting, an allegation the latter said was irrational, maintaining he couldn’t have been in a position to sponsor an attack against himself.
Recall that thugs reportedly went on a rampage along the Airport road in Benin on Thursday shooting sporadically, an ugly development that led to the death of a police officer attached to Okpebholo who was in the attacked convoy alongside Shaibu.
It was reported that the shooting was carried out to prevent Shaibu from accessing the Government House.
“Yesterday, when Shuaibu arrived at the airport, he was advised that he needed to go into the city peacefully without a motorcade and all those thugs around him, but he defied the Police Commissioner.
“We are calling on the Police, and the DSS to invite Mr. Shuaibu to explain why he shut up Benin with thugs. The Commissioner of Police like I said, is a witness.
“He had accosted him at the airport and warned him not to come into the city, but he defied the Commissioner of Police and came in shooting everywhere and killing a policeman.
“We are calling on the police to arrest Shuaibu and investigate the death of the policeman and bring Shuaibu to justice,” Osagie said.
Reacting, Shaibu said after the CP in a meeting alongside Okpebholo, confirmed the town was clear and calm for them to move, it was surprising they were ambushed by those he alleged to be men of the Edo Vigilante.
“Interestingly, as we were about to go out, there was serious hold-up (traffic jam). Only to be told that people that the Edo Vigilante and people were outside blocking the gate.
“Not up to 30 minutes that they did that, I saw the soldiers in the airport went to clear the gate and we came out, as we just drove into airport road, the next thing was sporadic shooting by the men vigilante.
“As the deputy governor, I know all of them, and I know the system. So, they were the ones shooting, and they killed a police man.
“Crusoe is making a statement that Obaseki will not help him by the time we are in court, and he should stop. He cannot be alleging what he didn’t know. I did not mobilise anybody to come and shoot,” Shaibu said.
Shaibu, who lamented that the casualty of the police orderly, saying ‘it dropped my spirit’ queried, “How can I be shooting myself? Why will I organise for people to shoot me. I have tried for the past one year to avoid going on the streets.”
Moreover, Shaibu, who said he was going to resume duty on Friday, said that though Obaseki has refused all communications from him, he would resume duty even if the governor refuses him an audience upon resumption on Friday.
He said, “I know even if I resume, the governor will not pay. I have not been paid for the past year, but that would not kill my spirit.
“I’m a law-abiding citizen. I will resume the office this morning. If they stop me, it’s a different thing.
“If I go to his office and he grants me access to see him, I will see him. If he doesn’t grant me access to see him, I will go back to my office.”
(Punch)
