Edo 2024: Obaseki slashes Shaibu’s budget

The feud between Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, over the latter’s political ambition to succeed the former in 2024 has taken a new twist as the budgetary allocation to the deputy governor’s office has been slashed in the 2024 budget.

It was gathered that in the 2024 budget, N345 million was allocated to the Office of the Deputy Governor as against the about N1.5billion allocated to the office in the 2023 budget.

According to the budget signed into law by the governor, it was revealed N19 billion was allocated to the Office of the State Governor while the Office of the Secretary to the State Government was allocated N8 billion and the Office of the Head of Service got N968m.

Recall that the deputy governor had while unveiling the Correspondent Secretariat in Benin last week said allocation to his office has been stopped in the last six months.

“There is tension between the governor and I. And for six months, there has been no allocation to my office. So, whatever I am doing is contributions from friends and my goodwill. And I am still standing very strong,” Shaibu had told journalists.

But a source within the House of Assembly said they gathered that the reduction in the allocation to the deputy governor’s office was connected to his ambition to contest the 2024 governorship election.

The source said some lawmakers believed to be loyal to the deputy governor opposed the decision to pass the budget as presented by the governor when the reduction was noticed but was prevailed over by the majority who are loyal to the governor.

Responding on behalf of the governor, the state Commissioner of Education, Chris Nehikhare, said allocation to the deputy governor’s office was dependent on the assignment assigned to his office by the governor.

“It is not a matter of slash, the deputy governor’s office or deputy governor, his function is dependent on the assignment the governor assigned to him, maybe next year, his assignment won’t be as heavy as this year.

“There is nothing in the constitution that says you should give X amount of money to the deputy governor’s office, so it is dependent on the assignment, which is assigned by the governor and determines the size of the budget to his office”, he said.

But the media aide to the deputy governor, Musa Ebomhiana, when contacted, said ‘no comment’.

While addressing journalists in Abuja, Shaibu reiterated that the people cannot afford to mortgage competence on the altar of rotation.

On the impasse between him and Governor Obaseki, Shaibu said the governor would soon declare his support for him once he becomes the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He said, “We have a tradition in Edo State of not rotating the governorship, there is no where we had actually sat as a people, whether as a political party or as a traditional institution or pressure group or any group at all where we sat and said we want to rotate the governorship.

“But if you ask me, do I want us to rotate, am I an apostle of rotation, I will say yes, because in areas where population-wise and other things are not advantageous to get certain things, through rotation they can get. So, I believe in it, but I also believe in equity and justice and fairness, because in rotation there must be equity, justice and fairness.

“So, all I am saying is let us have equity, justice and fairness and nothing more. Also we should not mortgage competence on the altar of rotation. Competence is also key and critical especially in this time where we are all struggling to survive in the country.”

He confirmed that his ambition has created issues with the governor, but added that even in the midst of harassment and intimidation, he would remain loyal to the governor.