The reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo, Philip Shaibu, mentioned that if his principal, Godwin Obaseki, had been more considerate and communicated with him properly, he (Shaibu) would have abandoned his ambition to become governor to maintain their relationship.
Shaibu, who labelled Obaseki a dictator, stated that he became more determined to pursue his governorship aspirations after Obaseki threatened to destroy him if he didn’t step aside.
He asserted that he would have won the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship primary because he had the support of 381 delegates, who would have voted for him if he had not been prevented from entering the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin where the primary was held on February 22.
Shaibu, who has since left the PDP and joined the All Progressives Congress, made these remarks on Wednesday during a courtesy visit to the APC National Working Committee in Abuja.
He expressed feeling let down by Obaseki despite his unwavering dedication and numerous sacrifices.
He said, “The truth is that the issues were all political. I declared to contest for the governor of Edo State. That is where the fight started.”
Appearing thoughtful, the deputy governor informed reporters that he had exhausted all efforts to appease his superior, but without success.
“He (Obaseki) said, ‘You cannot contest because I have my plans’. The next thing was that he would destroy me if I continued. For me, no man can destroy the plan of God. As an activist, that day I made up my mind that I was going to contest. As of the time our conversation was on, I was still consulting. I went into the race and I won it because I played high-powered politics. They are not politicians. They rode on our back to where they are. In the politics I played, I actually had 400 out of the 572 delegates.
“A week to the primary, I lost some and had 381. So I brought those 381 on the day of the primary but they were refused accreditation. They took the accreditation tags and gave to their appointees to go and do Aso Ebi reception at the stadium they call primaries. Now, the court has ruled that the delegates I had were the authentic delegates and the ones they brought were fake. So as it is, they have boxed themselves into a corner where I don’t want to go because it is a legal issue.
“We are in court and by the grace of God, I had already been vindicated by two judgments. What is critical is that I want to prove internal democracy must be respected and allowed to play. You can lobby, you can talk to people and people will understand. If the governor had shown leadership, maybe I wouldn’t have contested because I am not a desperate person. My ambition is not inordinate. I have an ambition to fix the state. If somebody else can agree that we collectively fix it, I will follow. But the governor wanted to behave like a military dictator. And for me, we fought. I have captained people that have fought for this democracy. I started from the youth wing. I am sure I am one of the top people you will mention for this democracy that we now have. And for me, I cannot watch this democracy be derailed and allow dictatorship to take control.”
Read Also: Nigeria’s Economy Showing Signs of Recovery, More Work to be Done – Tinubu
When asked if he could ever forgive Obaseki for treating him as an outcast, Shaibu hesitated before nodding.
He said, “The only person that is perfect is the Almighty God. None of us created by God is perfect. One of the greatest commandments in the world is ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ If all of us can actually take to that commandment, there will be peace in the world. But I have just discovered that there is no perfect relationship with what has happened between the governor and me.
“From my own end, I gave everything. I gave all to have him succeed. Because, for me, it is about the state and the state in everything. So, I gave everything even my official earnings. I forfeited lots of my official entitlement. Why? It is because I didn’t want any trouble or disagreement.”
