Since the Airport Road, Benin shooting incident of July 18, 2024, the PDP administration under Obaseki has been engaged in Gobbellian propaganda and media trial of the reinstated deputy governor of Edo state, Hon Philip Shaibu by official spin doctors.

The government plan is to paint him with the tar brush as a villain and common criminal responsible tor the day's mayhem.

If you put together all what these government people are saying on the issue on a scale of truth, you will realize that they are tissues of lies, falsehood and sophistry.

For instance, let us hear what Chris Nehikhare, commissioner of communication, said at a press conference in his office.

According to him, Shaibu is aware that the state government has distributed a notice of appeal and a motion for a stay of execution in the case to all the parties. Yet, he decided to recruit thugs to aid him through self-help to enforce a court order reinstating him as a depùty governor. It was while doing so that he unleashed the wanton destruction witnessed on the Airport Road.

These accusations are baseless following my detailed investigations into the whole matter which explains my delay in reacting to
the issue.

Firstly, Shaibu arrived Benin Airport without thugs but with Abuja policemen providing security for him into the warm embrace of jubilating supporters.

Of course, the Abuja policemen are not thugs, neither are his supporters.

If anyone person will have to argue that they are armed thugs, then that person must show proof of weapons recovered from them within the perimeter fence of the Benin Airport. Also, the person is insinuating that the airport security allowed into their premises either through compromise, conspiracy or ineffective surveillance evèn with gun detectors.

Secondly, I don't believe the old wife's tale that Shaibu was on a mission to use self-help to enforce the court order reinstating him as deputy governor. No. Common sense informs that after arrival from Abuja, he would go home with his cheering, supporters, disperse them and thereafter take a well-deserved rest. On the next day he would present himself to his boss, Obaseki, to resume work officially as directed by the Abuja declarative court order.

At this point, Obaseki would once more reassign to his asylum office outside the precincts of Government House, Benin after current deputy Godwin Marvellous has stepped down. Because you cannot have two official deputy governors at the same time constitutionally.

When Obaseki does this, then he has obeyed the court order to reinstate Shaibu to his statutory OFFICE as deputy governor. Not necessarily to OFFICIAL BUILDING by allocation inside Government House. So, Omobayo can continue to occupy the official building but should not be seen or heard carrying out any duty as deputy governor. Also, during this period, Obaseki could continue to isolate Shaibu since there is no explicit order that he MUST be assigned jobs or invited to meetings of the state executive council.

However, Obaseki refused to toe this honourable line of reasoning. To him, Omobayo remains the deputy governor court order or no court order and whether or not government's applications for stay of execution has been argued and won for an order given to stay execution of Shaibu's reinstatement order.

Here in lies the seed of discord that geminated into the crisis that erupted on July 18, 2024.

Obaseki apparently has vowed that Shaibu would never 'smell' government house again, in addition Obaseki suggestively has resolved to always embarrass, de-market, scandalise, minimize, criminalize, name and shame Shaibu any time the opportunity presents itself. Trust, this chance came when he arrived at the Benin Airport armed with his court order of reinstatement personally without patiently waiting for a bailiff to do so for him.

Error!! We don catcham, exclaimed the government. Yes, we haven't received the court order from the bailiff and we will iie that Shaibu will arrive Edo State from Abuja to try to forcefully enforce the court order to resume office. Perfect scenario to create crisis for hìm and use media trial to heap the blame entirely on Shaibu, government must have calculated.

Government conspiracy par excellence!! Hence, the shooting incident at the Airport Road, Benin.

In other words, Shaibu is the victim of circumstance not the villain that the government wants to make us believe.

Shaibu was aware of this thick plot as an insider of the government before be left PDP.

Hence, before arriving Benin, he called CP Funsho Adegboye in charge of Edo Police Command to discuss the plot against him.

Methinks, the CP then reached out to the government which sent him the notice of appeal and stay of execution application wrongly interpreted by him as a court order.

The application was shown by the CP to Shaibu prompting him to present his court order to the CP in return.

All said, don't blame the CP for not telling Shaibu that he needed a bailiff to serve it legally first before he can constitutionally present himself to resume work.

See, however, the crisis would still have been orchestrated to attempt to criminalize Shaibu.
It is a government game Shaibu knows of as a former top government person.

For instance, he is aware, if at all he did not take part in them, that the state choreographed the removal of Senator Mathew Urhogide's cap at the same Benin Airport some years ago to humiliate the man for daring to call for sanction of Buhari over his constitutional breaches.

Recall, too, that Oshiomhole was presented to the world as a troublemaker by government using arranged mayhem a on the same Airport, Benin years ago. His offence? Sidelining protocol when visiting the state from Abuja as a former governor and then the national chairman of the APC leading Obaseki to declare him persona non grata in Edo State. Remember, during the incident, there were shootings on Airport Road, Benin while two vehicles were set ablaze by agents of their masters. Who sent them? Ask the witchy owl!!

Osugusugu!! Our elders' village jurisprudence say when an owl shrieks at night and a child dies in the morning, hold the owl responsible for the child's demise.

Now, it is the turn of Shaibu to be given the Airport Road therapy to ridicule him as well as criminalize him using the media as a weapon.

One of the pointman in the whole game is Mr Timothy Osemwegie of Edo Broadcasting Service, Benin. During his propaganda programme of Iuly 19, 2024, he joined his other pro Obaseki henchmen to sell the idea that Shaibu is the sole cause of the mayhem on Airport Road on July 18, of 2024. See what he did. He selectively aired a footage of Shaibu's reaction to the airport Road saģa where Shaibu boasted though a man of peace, he is prepared for a showdown with security agencies in pursuit of justice.

How you are? Indeed, you can see His Master's Voice at work here giving Shaibu a bad name to crucify him.

It is a pity all these time-wasting events are occuring òn Edo State. Had Obaseki adhered to the rule of law in the Shaibu's case the Airport Road's choreographed incident wouldn't have happened. Too true, obedience is better than juju sacrifice.