Mark Jacob, a former National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged former Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu not to bother returning to office despite Wednesday's ruling reinstating him.
Mr Jacob, who appeared as a guest on Arise Television's morning show on Thursday, said it made no sense for Shaibu to return to office given the hostile environment and layoffs likely to await him.
“He can sound his siren here and there, but in practice he will not be part of the government. And in my opinion, politicians must respect themselves. If I were in his place, I would lick my wounds, go my way, put my life in my hands and move on,” said the lawyer, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Kaduna State.
The Edo State House of Assembly removed Mr Shaibu from office on April 8 over allegations of serious misconduct.
Governor Godwin Obaseki immediately appointed Omobayo Godwins as Shaibu's replacement. The House of Assembly confirmed Godwins' appointment and the governor swore him in as deputy governor on the same day.
However, the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday upheld Shaibu's suit challenging his removal, holding that the allegations over which the House of Assembly removed him did not amount to acts of serious misconduct.
The court quashed Mr Shaibu's dismissal and ordered his reinstatement.
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The judge, James Omotosho, also ordered the payment of salaries and allowances since the House of Assembly illegally removed him from office in April.
The Legislative Assembly expressed its dissatisfaction with the ruling and appealed against it.
Mr Jacob recalled the humiliating treatment Mr Shaibu received in the run-up to his dismissal in April.
He said the hostile environment would likely persist if Shaibu resumes office.
“If I were Shaibu, I would not have dwelled on this matter, honestly,” the lawyer said, adding that before his dismissal, “he was completely redundant; sometimes he was not even allowed into the office; he was completely out of government,” the former PDP legal adviser said.
He said that they can open a door for him to sit somewhere, and for the next few months, he will be redundant,” referring to the political forces that achieved Shaibu’s ouster.
He also based his argument on the inefficiency of Nigerian courts, where an appeal by the Legislative Assembly could drag on for years.
Even if Shaibu were to resume his post, he would leave in November, just four months before his joint term with the governor ends. Given the likelihood of further appeals, it is almost impossible for the Supreme Court to resolve the matter within a year if any of the affected parties decide to continue with the full judicial process after the Court of Appeals decision.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled September 21 for the next gubernatorial elections in the state.
Mr Jacob urged Mr Shaibu to abandon the idea of returning to office after making a statement with his successful legal battle against his removal.
The political dispute between Obaseki and Shaibu
Shaibu's dismissal last April was the climax of the political dispute between him and Governor Obaseki.
The dispute arose from Shaibu's ambition to succeed Mr Godwin, who preferred a different person from another region of the state, who he considered more suited to the state's zoning arrangement, to succeed him.
The two men, once allies, have become adversaries.
His re-election in 2022 was largely due to the strong alliance they formed against his former benefactor, Adams Oshiomhole, who had supported his rise to office in 2016 but fell out with Obaseki before the end of his first term.
As the 2022 elections approached, they were forced to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC), which Oshiomhole presided at the national level, and seek re-election on the PDP platform. This decision was prompted by Oshiomhole's opposition to their candidacy as APC flagbearers.
They ran for a second term and won on the PDP platform.
But they had barely settled in for a second term when Shaibu's ambition to succeed Obaseki began to drive a wedge between them.
Despite Governor Obaseki's insistence on a successor from the Edo Central zone of the state, Mr Shaibu, who hails from Edo North, obtained the PDP's gubernatorial nomination form.
In February, the governor's preferred candidate, Asue Ighodalo, emerged the winner of the party's primary election, despite Shaibu declaring himself the winner of a parallel election.
Reflecting on the fractured relationship during his appearance on Channels Television in November last year, Mr Shaibu said his troubles began after he visited Mr Oshiomhole to congratulate him for winning his election to the Nigerian Senate last year.
“That’s where my headache started because the governor’s style is that to be a friend of the governor, you must be his friend, and to be an enemy of the governor, you must be an enemy of him,” said Shaibu, a former member of the House of Representatives who hails from the same region of the state as Oshiomhole.
The conflict between the governor and Mr. Shaibu fluctuated between periods of calm and intense tension until their relationship deteriorated and reached a breaking point, catalyzing Mr. Shaibu's removal from office by the state House of Assembly in April.
On Thursday, Mr Jacob blamed Mr Shaibu for his troubles.
“His problem started when he committed class suicide: you don't come as a comrade and jump ship and join people who are not your in-laws and expect things to go well,” said Jacob, who served as the PDP's national legal adviser during Uche Secondus' tumultuous tenure as national chairman.
READ ALSO: Court reinstates Shaibu as Edo deputy governor
Need for an independent legislature
Mr. Jacob also criticised the way lawmakers assume office in Nigeria, saying it often leads to legislative chambers becoming mere extensions of the executive branch. He described this as a major national problem that requires urgent attention.
Nevertheless, he urged state assemblies to maintain their independence.
He also urged politicians to desist from witch-hunting each other over political differences.