A pressure group operating under the auspices of Afemai Vanguard and the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has become embroiled in a political crisis over the purported under-nomination of commissioner nominees from the state’s three Etsako Local Government Areas.
According to Truth Live News, the Afemai Vanguard accused the deputy governor of being the driving force behind the failure to nominate commissioners from the three local governments in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin City a few hours after the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, swore in 15 new commissioners.
The three Etsako local governments have headquarters in Auchi, Fugar, and Agenebode, respectively. Etsako West is the largest.
The statement from Harrison Igbafe Convener, Afemai Vanguard, said that Comrade Philip Shaibu, the State’s Deputy Governor, missed meetings and as a result, the three local councils’ commissioner positions went unfilled.
He further said that the gathering was organized in order to come to an agreement on the commissioners from the affected region’s list.
He claimed that when meetings were called, Shaibu, the deputy governor, failed to show up. His disappearance left the region without commissioners, although the reasons for this are unknown.
“We anticipate that the meetings will take place and that commissioners from the three Etsako Local Government Areas will eventually be appointed into the cabinet,” he said.
Additionally, it was learned that no commissioner has been appointed in the Egor Local Government Area since local leaders have been unable to agree on a candidate.
A source who wished to remain anonymous claimed that local government authorities have not yet coordinated and chosen a nominee.
However, he is confident that a commissioner will be chosen as soon as disagreements amongst the leaders have been resolved.
The deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, responded to the claim by denying any knowledge of a meeting or boycotting any.
Shaibu inquired as to whether meetings were called before the names of the commissioners were submitted through his chief press secretary, Ebomhiana Musa.
“There is no meeting they called that he was not there and you don’t need to call meeting before you know who to represent you in the three local governments as leader of Edo north in PDP.
“I am not aware that the deputy governor boycotted any meeting. If somebody on the tour of Edo North trying to reconcile aggrieved party members, do you call that boycotting meeting?
“He knows those who are qualified and fit to be commissioner so he doesn’t need to attend meeting to decide that”, Musa said.
However, Musa reassured that the local governments of Etsako East, Etsako Central, and Etsako West will undoubtedly get their commissioners and added that they are doing it in batches and that their own will arrive.