Security was on Monday morning beefed up at the Edo State Government House situated at Osadebey Avenue as stern-looking personnel were stationed at its entrance following an alarm raised by the government over an alleged plot by former deputy governor of the state, Philip Shaibu to invade the seat of power in Benin City with thugs.
Special Police Unit, (SPU) took strategic position at the gate preventing vehicles from gaining access into the Government House and ordering them to park few metres outside the gate.
Speculations were rife in the state that Shaibu may resume office Monday morning, fueling fears of likely clash between his supporters and those of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Recall that the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, in a statement on Sunday had called on the Inspector General of Police and all well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on Shaibu to refrain from his alleged devious plot, describing it as a clear recipe for chaos, given the fact that a policeman was killed the last time he attempted such action.
However, the Chief Press Secretary to Shaibu, Musa Ebomhiana in press statement, debunked the report of his plan to invade the Government House, describing his principal as a peace-loving man who believes in the rule of law.
“We want to put it clearly here that, unlike Governor Godwin Obaseki, Philip Shaibu is a peace-loving man, who firmly believes in the rule of law and would not want to shed innocent blood for whatever reason.
“As it is today, in eyes of the law and in the eyes of the good people of Edo State, indeed, Nigerians, Philip Shaibu is the de jure and de facto Deputy Governor of Edo State. We need not fight or struggle for that which God has given us.
“Obaseki and his co-travellers should accept the fact that the good people of Edo State have spoken, and his godson, Asue Ighodalo, has been roundly rejected at the polls. Sadly, this reality is yet to dawn on them.
“Crusoe Osagie, the purveyor of the fake news is well known as an alarmist and propagandist who thrives on rumors and beer parlour gossips, with little or no respect for the ethics of our cherished profession, journalism. So, he has to be ignored,” Ebomhiana said.
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