A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo state, Washington Osifo on Monday revealed that the state’s Deputy Governor, Phillip Shaibu revealed to him that he will contest the 2024 governorship election in another political party if Governor Godwin Obaseki refuses to support him.
Osifo, one of 14 elected members of the Edo State House of Assembly who were not inaugurated by the Obaseki administration in 2019, revealed this while featuring as a guest on Channels Television on Monday.
While confirming that Shaibu is planning to contest the governorship election, Osifo said the embattled deputy governor came to him in Abuja to seek for forgiveness on the role he played in frustrating the inauguration of the G-14 lawmakers.
He said “I can authoritatively confirm that the deputy governor wants to contest for the 2024 governorship election, he came to Abuja sometimes ago and met with me. He said I should forgive him for whatever happened in the past that we were not inaugurated.
“I told him I have forgiven him even before he asked for it. however, I am not in your party, I can’t support you.
“I then started interrogating him that I have been following up with developments in your party, you are not very good with your governor, what are you going to do about that? He said maybe he will ply his political journey elsewhere but for now, he is seeking a realignment with his old friends”.
Going down memory lane, Osifo also revealed that Obaseki never wanted Shaibu as his deputy in 2016 but was prevailed by the then governor, Adams Oshiomhole to do so, in order to have a blend of technocrat as a governor and a politician as his deputy.
“Obaseki never wanted Shaibu to be his deputy but Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the governor then was trying to strike a beautiful balance between a technocrat and politician, both having worked with him, one in the executive and the other at the legislative arm. He thought that fine blend will take Edo to the next level which was what we campaigned with.
“But the moment he was able to settle in and the government began, Obaseki still suspected (Phillip) Shaibu and he went on with that suspicion.
“When it was now time that he fell out with his boss, Oshiomhole, he saw in Phillip a willing tool to bring down his father, which was Oshiomhole. Shaibu accepted and brought down Oshiomhole. Now, a reconciled enemy cannot be trusted. So, Phillip is now an enemy that must go sooner than expected” he said.
Both Obaseki and Shaibu defected to the PDP in June 2020 after they were denied the ticket of the APC by the then national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole
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