The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has openly criticized Governor Godwin Obaseki following the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, in the September 21 governorship election.
Shaibu, during an appearance on Arise TV, expressed satisfaction with the election outcome, stating that he felt “vindicated” by the APC’s win.
Shaibu attributed the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) defeat to Governor Obaseki’s behavior, particularly his alienation of those who had initially supported him.
According to Shaibu, Obaseki had lost the goodwill of many key figures within the PDP, leading to mass defections to the APC.
“We made Obaseki governor. I continue to insist because Obaseki was never a politician. Obaseki never voted, just like Asue (Ighodalo) in Edo State. But when Oshiomole convinced us why we should support him, we all came together to back him,” Shaibu remarked, highlighting the efforts of a collective team in Obaseki’s political rise.
He went on to explain that the tipping point for many of the governor’s allies was his refusal to involve them in his administration.
Shaibu stated, “The game-changer was his refusal to share his programme with us, thinking he could be an autocrat, a dictator, and enforce his will. He feels he now has the money which he didn’t have in 2016 to use to buy his way through.”
Shaibu recounted how Obaseki alienated numerous political leaders who had played a vital role in his campaigns, saying, “There were 10 of us who contested in the PDP primaries, and to 9 of us, he said to ‘go to hell’. It started with Oshiomole.”
He noted that about 618 key leaders defected from the PDP to the APC due to Obaseki’s behavior.
In a reflection on his own political journey, Shaibu expressed gratitude, saying, “I feel vindicated and I thank God for it. I am water, I don’t have an enemy. Unfortunately, those who decided that they are enemies, I have always prayed for them to live long and see how God’s miracle continues to work in my life.”
Describing himself as a committed team player, Shaibu said, “I am a team player, I am somebody who likes to do my work the way it should be and if I make a mistake, it is a human mistake not out of envy or wickedness.”
Shaibu emphasized his role in securing APC’s victory in the state and took a swipe at Governor Obaseki’s electoral performance, claiming that Obaseki had failed to secure his local government area. “Even the governor couldn’t win his local government. I won my unit, ward, and local government,” he stated.
Shaibu added, “He [Obaseki] has never won; we always assisted him. I insist, unfortunately, he got the power and he decided to start kicking us and removing the ladder.”
Shaibu however suggested that Obaseki needs to apologize to the people of Edo for his actions, saying, “What is left now is for him to go back and start begging and apologising to the people of Edo and he has a lot of them that he needs to apologise to.”
