New Edo Deputy Gov Omobayo, 38, Of Labour Party Says Appointment Strategic To PDP Winning Governorship
Moments after the Edo State House of Assembly impeached Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu, on Monday, Governor Godwin Obaseki announced and swore in his namesake, Omobayo Marvelous Godwins, as replacement.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Festival Hall of the Government House in Benin City.
Present were friends, well-wishers, traditional leaders, party faithful and Governor Obaseki.
Born July 19, 1986, Omobayo hails from Akoko Edo Local Government Area of the state.
Omobayo pledged his unalloyed loyalty to Obaseki in the few months they would work together before the end of their term on November 12, 2016.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, Godwins he was learning on the job and would not hesitate to do all that his principal instructed him to do.
When asked about taking the role of a Deputy Governor that had been relegated to a “spare tyre,” Godwins said, “It’s okay with me. Life is a process. At 37+, I am already A Deputy Governor, it has improved my political outlook and I am not in a rush to drag with my Governor. Whatever he says I should do is what I will do. He knows my strength. So, I will dwell on my strength when it comes to adding value. Politically, I am learning on the job.”
The new Deputy Governor was unambiguous that his becoming deputy governor, months to the expiration of the eight-year tenure of Obaseki, was part of the political permutations for Ighodalo to defeat his closest contenders like LP’s Olumide Akpata and Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Godwins boasted that he has robust grassroot support from his base in Akoko Edo, one of the local governments in the Edo North Senatorial District, to boost the chances of Ighodalo, who hailed from Ewohimi in the Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo Central Senatorial District.
On Shaibu’s impeachment, he said, “That is politics for you. Your job first of all is to be loyal.”
Rejecting his impeachment by the lawmakers, the ousted Deputy Governor described it was a threat to democracy.
Shaibu spoke in a video message to Edo people, and said: “This is not just an attack on me as an individual but on the democracy that we hold dear.
“It is a dangerous descent into dictatorship and a threat to the foundation of our democracy. Let it be clear that this impeachment was hatched because of my ambition to contest the Edo State 2024 governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. An ambition that is a legal right to all citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Shaibu was Obaseki’s deputy from November 12, 2016 till April 8, 2024 when he was unceremoniously removed following a protracted rift between the two former political allies.
Shaibu, who contested the PDP governorship primary, had declared himself a winner in a parallel election after the party announced businessman Ighodalo the party’s flag bearer.
Omobayo holds a B.Eng. Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and an M.Sc. in Public Administration from the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
He is a registered member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
Before his new appointment, he served as a Senior Maintenance Engineer at Dresser Wayne West Africa Limited.
