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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Peoples Democratic Party has called on Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, to sheathe their swords and give peace a chance.
The PDP National Vice Chairman (South) and former chairman of the party in Edo State, Chief Dan Orbih, made appeal in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday.
He was reacting to the face-off between Obaseki and Shaibu, which appeared to have defied settlement.
Orbih expressed surprise that official letters of the state government, which should be confidential, were now dominating the social media space.
Recall that Shaibu had approached a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop his planned impeachment by Obaseki. Although, he later withdrew the case following stakeholders intervention.
However, Shaibu was barred from entering his office at the Government House on Monday, following the relocation of his office.
An official letter of his relocation surfaced on social media. The letter, dated September 15, 2023, was received by a permanent secretary in the office of the deputy governor, and acknowledged on Monday, September 18, 2023.
But Orbih advised Obaseki and his deputy to bury the hatchet and allow peace to reign for the sake of the governorship election scheduled for next year.
“I have observed with trepidation, the frosty relations between the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki and his Deputy, Comrade Philip Shaibu and I am constrained to call on both parties to exercise restraint in what to say or do in the course of this ongoing needless and endless crisis.
“To my surprise, official letters, which should be confidential, are now dominating the social media space. I urge both parties to stop further hostilities and resolve their differences quietly in the interest of good governance and progress of the state. Anything less may affect the image and fortunes of the party in the coming guber election.
“Yes, we have had issues in the past between party and government, but we haven’t allowed them to be subject to newspaper editorials.
“The PDP is a strong brand in Edo State – a brand that has been nurtured over the years by the commitment of leaders and dedicated members of the party. This brand is now under serious threat by the current raging battle between the Governor and Deputy Governor.
“I, therefore, seize this opportunity to call on both parties to ‘cease fire’ and resolve their differences amicably. God bless PDP. God bless Edo State,” Orbih said.