The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has thrown tantrum at Governor Godwin Obaseki following the victory of Senator Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Saturday, September 21 governorship election in the state.
Shaibu who spoke on Arise TV said he feels vindicated with the outcome of the polls which saw the APC’s candidate emerging as the governor-elect.
He maintained that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s defeat in the state was due to certain alienation actions by Governor Obaseki.
Shaibu added that it took collective effort to make Obaseki governor, but he ended up offending everybody who helped him while in power.
He said, “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. In his second term, you can see the role we played in making him the governor of Edo State.
“Today, the game-changer is that, all of us whom God put together to assist Obaseki in becoming governor during his first and second terms, Obaseki has offended all of us and pushed us to the extent that we were forced out of the PDP.
“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.
“There were 10 of us who contested in the PDP primaries, and to 9 of us, he said to ‘go to hell’ to leaders who went around canvassing for him, he also said to ‘go to hell’. It started with Oshiomole.
“The last time I counted, about 618 of us, key leaders, left the PDP for the APC. And the interesting thing is, we who left APC to PDP, when we were returning, we left with members of PDP to the extent that the ward leaders and executives were all resigning.
“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,” he said.
Describing himself as a team player, the deputy governor who has had a long-running battle with Governor Obaseki, said he likes to deliver on his responsibilities at all times.
“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.
“Yesterday, I was so excited and happy that I was counted among the numbers that have helped APC take power in Edo State, I have also canceled that blackmail and negative impression flying, that Philip Shuaibu does not win his ward.
“I have never lost my ward, I have never lost my unit,” Shaibu said.
Also claiming to have garnered the highest vote from his unit, Shaibu swiped at Obaseki for failing to clinch his local government area.
He said, “Even the governor couldn’t win his local government. I won my unit, ward and local government.
“Where are the governor’s results? He 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.
“Hope he learns his lessons. 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,” the deputy governor stated.
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