The current situation between Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, took a new turn on Monday with the governor’s decision to bar his estranged deputy from the Government House.
When Shaibu arrived at his office on Monday, he discovered that the gate to the deputy governor’s office and the main entrance leading to the storey building were both locked with chains and heavy padlocks.
While he and his aides waited for about an hour before departing, Shaibu reportedly made frantic attempts to contact the governor, but to no avail.
An aide to the deputy governor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed that his principal had discussions with the Commissioner of Police and the Director of State Services about how he was locked out of his office.
There was no official communication, he said, indicating that the deputy governor’s office had been locked.
As a result, Shaibu was said to have summoned the Camp Commandant at the Government House, SP Ibrahim Babatunde, to inquire as to why he was locked out of his office.
“He said it was a directive from above, adding that the CSO in government house, Wabba, will be in a better position to explain”, the aide said.
Shaibu was said to have made calls to Wabba Williams, who promised to come to the scene, but never came all through the period Shaibu waited.
