Deputy Shaibu is denied entry to the Edo Government Office by “powers above.”

The fact that Shaibu and the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, are at war with one another is no longer a surprise.

On Monday, September 18, 2023, the Government House in Benin City saw some early drama when Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor of the Edo State, discovered that he was locked out of his office.

Shaibu was taken aback when the gates leading to his office were impenetrably barred and inaccessible when he arrived at the Government House on a normal Monday morning.

He reportedly called SP Ibrahim Babatunde, the commandant of the Government House camp, to find out why his office had been unexpectedly placed under lockdown.

The senior police officer allegedly told him that the instruction came from higher powers and suggested that Wabba Williams, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) at the Government House, would be more qualified to give clarification on the subject.

Shaibu called Williams and said he would arrive, but despite Shaibu’s waiting by the gate, Williams never arrived.

Shaibu expressed his confusion at the circumstance in a phone conversation with an unnamed person, claiming that he had not gotten any official word from the governor’s office regarding the transfer of his office.

“Up to this point, my civil servants are the only ones with whom I have had official communication suggesting that I relocate. While I lack official communication, civil servants do. I’m standing by the gate while I speak to you right now.

According to sources, Anthony Okungbowa’s office sent a letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Deputy Governor last week asking Shaibu to move his office to a new address at No. 7 Dennis Osadebey Avenue, GRA, Benin City.

According to Pulse, Philip Shuaibu started moving his official office away from the grounds of Government House last week.

Recall that on Friday, September 1, 2023, construction workers could be seen remodelling the building and the compound while the security post was still undergoing restoration.

It is no longer a surprise that Shaibu and the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, are at odds over Shaibu’s desire to secure the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nomination for the governor of Edo in 2024.