Shaibu backs APC candidate, labels Ighodalo outsider

A former deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, on Sunday, said he would be supporting the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Monday Okpebholo for the September 21 governorship election.

Shaibu was impeached by the state House of Assembly on April 8 after a protracted battle with Governor Godwin Obaseki over his succession bid.

He said Okpebholo had the characteristics of the ‘homeboy’ needed to take over governance in Edo State.

Shaibu spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the Fathers’ Day celebration at the St Paul Catholic Church in Benin City.

He described the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Asue Ighodalo, as a product of godfatherism, which, he said, had been eradicated from the political history of Edo State.

He said a former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole, preached against godfatherism and he joined Obaseki to fight against godfatherism during the 2020 election, adding that he had also learnt new political strategies from the governor.

Shaibu said, “I am a very good learner and learning is what is most important in our lives and we must continue to learn till we die. Governor Obaseki says he has the right to support whoever he wants to support but he also forgot that he doesn’t have the right to stop anybody from supporting whoever they wants to support. So, it is my right to also decide who I want to support.

“I will support a homeboy. I came into the contest to be governor of Edo State because I needed governance to return to a homeboy, somebody who understands our plight and somebody who understands what the people are feeling.

“We don’t want an outsider. We have experimented with an outsider and it is not working, so this time, we want a homeboy. We have only two home boys in the major political parties; one is in the Labour Party and one is in the All Progressives Congress.

“I chose to follow the homeboy in the APC. The man they are parading in the PDP is an outsider and we have also agreed that no more godfatherism in Edo. The man the PDP is parading is the godson of Obaseki and there is no way a godson can be governor of Edo State again.”

On whether he would not be accused of anti-party activity since he is still a member of the PDP, Shiabu said, “No, it is not anti-party because I know that in the last election, the governor was one leg in the Labour Party and one leg in the PDP, so it can’t be anti-party now.”

On the capacity of Okpebholo, he said, “Enough of English that takes us nowhere. We are talking about governance, the man who understands the plight of the people. He wears the shoes and knows where it pinches.

“A man that has never voted, how can he be seeking our vote? And we are comparing him to a man that is a sitting senator who is really a homeboy!”