Philip Shaibu Media Team "BHR" Should Allow Zakawanu Garuba's Soul: Rest In Peace

By DADA AYOKHAI

Some of  unwittingly, supporters of Hon Shaibu, in their unbridled desperation to launder his image, may have stoked a political war of attrition between him and those in the political family of the late former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Zakawanu Garuba. They have a right to launder the image of their paymaster. Nobody quarrels with that.

Under the umbrella of   BULLETS OF THE HARMLESS RABBIT MEDIA TEAM (BHR)

 a special purpose vehicle to  launder the image of its principal, the media was  awashed  with misrepresentations about the former House  Speaker which left sour taste in the mouth of many .

Like spin doctors with little or no regard for truth, hard earned reputations and, regardless also of whether its victim is dead or living, the BHR showed a lot of disdain for the soul of the late Speaker. 

Ostensibly to portray Zak,as he was fondly called by admirers, the BHR issued a release of a report in which it laboured stridently to portray Hon Zak as an  "enemy of Edo people" in comparison to their principal, Hon Shaibu, who they portrayed as a "patriot" for ensuring political stability and stoutly opposing the attempt to impeach the then comrade governor, Adams Oshiomole. 

The twisted report, most of which has drawn both ire and flaks from critical stakeholders, BHR tried to chronicle the turmoil that engulfed the Edo State House of Assembly  at the time, culminating in the role played by Hon Shaibu as minority leader to douse tension as well as mount strong opposition against the impeachment of the former governor, Adams Oshiomole adding his refusal to join forces ranged against Comrade Oshiomole at the time paved the way for the political stardom he currently enjoys.

They further claimed that in 2009 Hon Shaibu rebuffed every overture made to him by late Chief Tony Anenih, to secure his support for the impeachment of Gov Oshiomole, considering that late Hon Zak was the House Speaker then while Hon Shaibu served as minority leader. 

In one of the contentious paragraphs in the report, the BHR said this: "Hon Shuaibu led the forces which scuttled the impeachment, even though the then Speaker [Zak] tried to co-opt him into the "political coup", with  50 million Naira  dangled  to buy his support.

 Being a principled man, one not ready to trade his conscience, Hon Shaibu  refused to betray Edo people and their mandate. Of course, the plot failed principally because Hon Shaibu understood clearly that the issues at stake bordered on the collective democratic decision of Edo people. So, he was able to demand they leave with their filthy money, realising fully well that he cannot afford to either betray Edo people or his political godfather for any reason whatsoever".

These claims, as it were,  seems to have stirred the anger in some members of the Zakawawu political family,who contend that the former Speaker was being portrayed in a bad light. 

In a bid to set the records straight as well as refute some of the deliberate falsehood contained in the BHR report, political associates of the late Speaker  led by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Chief Sule Duru Yesufu who is still alive and very active in politics dismissed as "untrue" the claim that Hon Zakawanu Garuba tried to induce Comrade Shaibu with N50m to impeach the Governor. He didn't need to do that because the closeness of Comrade Shaibu to the Governor was well known then.  At that time judging from the mood of Edo people then, impeachment was not even in the cards.

He specifically pointed out that Hon Shaibu did not at any time occupy the revered seat of minority leader, noting he was the minority chief whip of the house during the year In question. 

Describing the BHR action as capable of "sowing discord" among members of Zak political family, he  also reminded BHR members that the emergence of Comrade Oshiomole as governor of Edo State was the product of a judicial pronouncement, contrary to the wrong impression of a legislative intervention which the BHR attempted to create in the minds of the public. 

What is really painful from what is happening now is we believe that Hon Zakawanu Garuba paid the supreme price fighting within PDP to get Obaseki and Shaibu run a joint PDP ticket. Something akin to a near miracle in Political permutations. Getting his rewards through vilifications even in his grave is very painful.

 In particular, he  challenged the BHR claim that the PDP dominated House planned  to impeach the comrade Adams Oshiomole stressing as at the time Oshiomole became governor, the PDP did not have the clear-cut numerical strength to even contemplate the idea, wondering how the BHR expected the party to muster the required number legally.

Recalling how the then AC lawmakers, later ACN, in the state assembly used state resources to woo a PDP member from Esan axis into their party,  as a prelude to secure the required numbers for the impeachment of Hon Zak as Speaker, and later followed with the  "hired and warehoused"  thugs and security agents unleashed to do  the needful  aimed  at  impeaching the Speaker at all cost.

 Ironically, he became a victim of illegality when the same he did his best to legally protect financed the illegality that removed him as Speaker on the 22nd of February 2010.