Ismail Abdulazeez Mantu Reporting
The rift between governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and his Deputy, Philip Shuaibu has suffered a major casualty as Mrs Sabina Chikere, the sister-in-law to the deputy governor has been sacked.
Sabina, as she is popularly called who became a Permanent Secretary mysteriously after being a Special Assistant had made herself the authority of Edo State sports for over two years.
Mrs. Chikere was up until her recent transfer, also serving as the General Coordinator for the Bendel Insurance Football Club of Benin, which is a team that aspires to compete on the continental level. Notably, she is the sister-in-law of the Deputy Governor, Mr Shaibu, who is currently engaged in a political conflict with Governor Obaseki over the succession plans for the governorship in 2024. The issue centres on the 2024 election for governor.
It just so happens that Chikere, who used to serve as the General Coordinator of Bendel Insurance, is the older sister of Mrs Maryann Shaibu, who is the wife of the Deputy Governor of Edo State. When this new event was confirmed to the press on Friday by a source working within the government house, the source stated that it may be related to the current friction between Governor Obaseki and his deputy.
“Yes, it is true! Madam (Sabina Chikere) has been fired by Mr. Governor,” the source told journalists.
This new development comes less than three days after Edo’s Deputy Governor, Shaibu, abandoned an impeachment petition he had filed against his boss, Governor Obaseki.
Shaibu had gone to the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he was seeking, among other things, an injunction prohibiting Obaseki, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, and the Chief Judge of Edo State, as well as other individuals, from beginning the impeachment process against him.
On the other hand, on September 5, 2023, the Edo Deputy Governor, Shaibu, withdrew the case that he had filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja in an effort to prevent the effort by his principal, Governor Obaseki, to overthrow him (Shaibu) from office. The lawsuit had been brought in an effort to obstruct the effort by Governor Obaseki to unseat Shaibu from office.
Shaibu explained his decision in a statement, saying that it was based on the necessity to respect the intervention of various notable individuals, including religious and traditional leaders, while also expressing his gratitude to the governor for agreeing to the peace measures. Shaibu thanked the governor for his agreement.