A letter to that effect, written by the Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie, surfaced on Tuesday morning. It may signal the conclusion of the controversy surrounding the relocation of Edo State deputy governor, comrade Philip Shaibu’s office from outside the government building.
On Monday, when he was locked out, Shaibu had claimed ignorance of the office move and noted that he had not received a letter directing him to vacate the government home property for another site.
Moreover, according to the troubled deputy governor, only government employees received a letter telling them to relocate to the new office.
In a letter to the deputy governor, Governor Godwin Obaseki instructed the Shaibu to move to the new office address, according to Ogie.
A Permanent Secretary at the deputy governor’s office received the letter dated September 15, 2023, and on September 18, 2023, they acknowledged receipt of it.
The memo’s “Relocation of Office Accommodation” title states: “I write to notify you that His Excellency, the Governor, has approved the relocation of your office accommodations to No. 7, Dennis Osadebey Avenue, G.R.A., Benin City.
To ensure compliance with Mr. Governor’s consent, please, you are now requested.
Shaibu and his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki, had a falling out when the deputy governor filed a lawsuit in an Abuja Federal High Court earlier in August, asking for the court’s protection from an alleged attempt by the governor to utilize the Edo State House of Assembly and other bodies to impeach him.
The deputy governor’s media team was disbanded, and his office was moved from the main Government House as the governor quickly responded to the lawsuit.
Three weeks prior, Shaibu withdrew the lawsuit from court as a result of several significant state residents from the political and religious spheres interfering.
But on Monday, the door to Shaibu’s office was shut, and he was unable to enter the premises, destroying any hopes that the dispute would be settled.
