By Seyi Odewale
The rift between the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, appeared to have taken a twist with the governor disbanding his deputy’s media crew yesterday.
A directive to the deputy governor yesterday said he must henceforth request the Ministry of Communication and Orientation for media coverage of activities of his office.
A statement by the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Osa Nehikhare, yesterday in Benin City, the state capital, said the directive followed the ugly incident that happened during the colloquium held to mark the 60th anniversary of Midwest Referendum held at the Sir Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub and Soundstage, where some journalists, who claimed to be the media crew of the Deputy Governor, attempted to force their way into the hall where the governor and other invited dignitaries were already seated.
This act, Nehikhare said, was contrary to the accreditation protocol that had been established for media coverage of the event. The orchestrated and stage-managed walkout and disruption that followed, the commissioner said, were highly regrettable.
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The deputy governor, who was inside the venue reportedly got angry when he discovered that his media team was not allowed into the venue.
Shaibu reportedly engaged the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Andy Okungbowa, in a discussion to know why and Okungbowa was trying to explain what happened to the deputy governor before he stormed out of the venue.
According to one of the journalists in the deputy governor’s media team, they were already seated when they were told to leave the venue by security agents after Okungbowa and the Public Relations Officer, Office of the Governor, Ms Osarumwense Margaret Ojo, identified them to the security agents.
“We were at the event to cover the proceedings as the deputy governor media. I got the premonition that things would get ugly when our bus was nearly prevented from going into the complex.
“After we gained entrance, we were allowed into the hall, and we set out to do our job. After a while, the CPS and Ojo identified us, and the security agencies walked us out.
“When the deputy governor got wind of what happened, he came to the door, but he was told that they were acting on instructions from above. It was at this time that the deputy governor stormed out,” he added.
