Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has sworn-in Omobayo Marvellous Godwins as the new deputy governor of the state.

Obaseki picked 37-year-old Omobayo Godwin as his new deputy. Omobayo replaced Philip Shaibu, who was earlier impeached by the State House of Assembly on Monday morning.

Shaibu was impeached by the House of Assembly after the adoption of the report of the Justice S. A. Omonua (rtd)-led impeachment panel.

The panel was set up by the Chief Judge of Edo State to investigate allegations of misconduct and perjury against Shaibu.

Eighteen out of the 20 lawmakers that attended the plenary on Monday, April 8, 2024 voted in favour of the impeachment while one voted against.

In the report, the seven-man panel found the former deputy governor guilty of leaking government official secrets. But he was not found guilty of the allegation of perjury.

Following the impeachment, Obaseki immediately swore-in Omobayo to replace Shaibu.

Omobayo hails from Akoko-Edo Local Government Area in the same Edo North Senatorial District, where the impeached deputy governor came from.

Born July 19, 1986, Omobayo is said to be a “seasoned engineer with a proven track record of progressive professional experience in the oil and gas sector”.

His profile showed that he has a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Msc 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.

He serves as a Senior Maintenance Engineer in Dresser Wayne West Africa Limited, cutting his professional teeth in the operations in the South South area.

The new deputy governor is said to be active in politics in his local government area.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has raised alarm over an alleged plan by Governor Siminalayi Fubara to procure interim orders from some judges to declare the Martins Amaewhule-led State House of Assembly as illegitimate.

The Chairman of the APC’s Caretaker Committee in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, revealed this during a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

Okocha, while withholding the names of the judges allegedly targeted by Fubara, vowed to disclose them in a petition to the Nigeria Judicial Council, NJC.

Okocha asserted that Governor Fubara intends to utilize the orders to appoint Caretaker Committees in the 23 local government areas, contravening President Bola Tinubu’s directive outlined in the peace pact signed by the governor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, and others in December 2023.

The APC vehemently stated its opposition to Fubara’s proposed actions, emphasizing its commitment to safeguarding the state and the interests of the party.

He said, “I want to use this opportunity to inform Rivers people and Nigerians of the move by the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, to procure interim orders from Judges that I may not name here, but I will put in my petition today to the National Judicial Council.

“He wants to procure an interim order stopping the implementation of the laws which he was vetoed over.

“He wants to procure an order to announce as illegal the Rivers State House of Assembly as constituted and as led by Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule.

“The Governor is in the business as we speak and I speak with all authority because the walls have ears.

“These are the plans that are on and he is doing that so that he will now leverage on that order to go ahead to appoint caretaker committees in local government against the warning of the man he says he respects, the President.

“But let me put it clearly here that we will stoutly, vehemently oppose such negative subterranean moves by a man who ought to protect the dignity and integrity of a state called Rivers.

“Rivers State cannot be turned into a pariah because of the cluelessness of one person.

“Rivers State is a state to be reckoned with in the comity of nations, highly respected and regarded.

“But see how dangerously we have fallen because we have a Governor who does not understand his left from his right.

“So we put out this clearly to Nigerians and to Rivers people that we will stoutly disobey that.” He added.

In his reaction to the allegation by the APC, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information, Joe Johnson, clarified that the claims by Okocha are false.

According to Johnson, “There is nothing like that we are not given to backyard business.

“My governor does not do anything that is illegal and he is not interested in any illegality.

“Whatever will come from the courts will not come from the back door.

“We are not like them and the governor has said that he will surprise them so he will surprise them.”

The Kaduna State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the suspension of Maryam Suleiman, its state women’s leader.

In a letter dated March 31st, signed by the APC chairman and secretary of Badarawa/Malali ward, Ali Maishago and Zakkah Bassahuwa, respectively, the party accused Suleiman of gross misconductA

It was stated that the party chieftain was punished for defaming the character of Governor Uba Sani, and for unauthorized publicity of the party’s dispute that discredited the governor.

Furthermore, Suleiman was accused of sending individuals to attack the political adviser to the governor, Manzo Maigari.

The letter emphasized that the actions of the women leader are in violation of Article 21, 2 (v) of the APC constitution. The party has decided that the suspension will remain in effect indefinitely until the allegations are thoroughly investigated.

JomogNews reports that in a widely circulated video delivered in the Hausa language, the APC women leader expressed criticism towards Governor Sani’s remarks regarding the significant debt burden left by the previous administration of former governor Nasir El-Rufai.

Governor Sani had disclosed during a town hall meeting on Saturday that he inherited a debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities from the El-rufai administration.

This, he said, has resulted in the current government’s inability to pay workers’ salaries due to deductions from the federal allocation.

In response to the governor’s remarks, the APC women leader criticized Governor Sani for maladministration in a video posted on social media. She cautioned him against blaming El-rufai for his shortcomings.