Ahead of Edo state governorship primaries billed for June, 2020, five influential Commissioners might have concluded plans to dumped the administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Their decision to resign, Blueprint gathered was mainly due to internal squabbles within Obaseki’s government.
The commissioners are mainly from Edo North, the stronghold of National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
A government source who craved for anonymity said, “The planned resignation may not be unconnected with the power-play by some “cabal” in the Obaseki-led government who have reportedly shut out every other person in the scheme of things.
“This is not going down well with many of the appointees; especially now that the governor appears to be helpless. And the commissioners now see the resignation as a way of getting back at the forces by aligning with Oshiomhole’s faction of the APC to stop the governor’s reelection bid.”
The internal squabbles was said to have heightened when Obaseki went into self-isolation after his contact with person who later tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).
His deputy, Phillip Shaibu and the Secretary to the Government, Barrister Osarodion Ogie were said to have taken charge of the affairs of government at the time.
Besides, the planned resignation of the commissioners is coming less than 24 hours after the governor’s Chief of Staff and trusted ally, Mr. Taiwo Akerele, threw-in his resignation letter over issues bordering “administrative and governance grounds.”
However, multiple sources have attributed his resignation to powerful forces in the administration who have continually undermined his office financially and politically in his Akoko-Edo local government.
But Mr. Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to Obaseki on media, communication & strategy said, “The governor is yet to receive any official communication of the resignation of Chief of Staff, Taiwo Akerele.”
According to him, “While the governor has not received any formal communication to this effect, he believes that this is a personal decision of Mr. Akerele.
“However, whenever the resignation letter gets to the governor, he would accept it, and he wishes Akerele all the best in his future endeavours.”
