Edo Guber Race: Obaseki Unreasonable, Despotic — Shaibu

• Says I would’ve dropped my gov ambition if… 

With his recent decampment from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Court reinstated Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, says he would have abandoned his gubernatorial ambition if Governor Godwin Obaseki was reasonable and polished in their engagement.

According to him, things would have been better handled, their relationship preserved and the governor had his way if he (Obaseki) was more circumspect when speaking to him, Shaibu about governorship plans.

Describing Obaseki as a dictator, Comrade Shaibu said his resolve to pursue the governorship ambition was further strengthened when the governor threatened to destroy him if he failed to back down and drop out of the race.

He maintained that had the governor shown leadership, the idea of contesting would have been reconsidered because “My ambition is not inordinate”, adding; “But the governor wanted to behave like a military dictator.”

The Deputy Governor, who expressed feelings of betrayal against Governor Obaseki given all his sacrifices and loyalty to him, 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.”

Speaking with journalists when he paid a courtesy visit to the APC National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja, Comrade Shaibu explained going out of his was and doing everything humanly possible just to pacify his principal to no avail

While recollecting the events leading to their seeming “irreconcilable differences”, Shaibu explained thus; “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.”

Shaibu claimed victory at the Edo State PDP governorship primary because he had 381 loyal delegates, who were deliberately shut out of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin where the exercise took place on February 22.

He said; “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.”

Debunking claims that he left with 22 official vehicles after his purported impeachment, Comrade Shaibu explained that the governor bought only one official car for his convoy in the seven and a half years of their administration.

He said; “The easiest way to have a disagreement is money. Even my official entitlements, most of them I didn’t even apply for. That is, anything that has to do with going to meet the governor to apply for anything, including my personal or official entitlement. I confined myself within the official salary that came to me.

“Recently, I saw an advert that I should return 22 vehicles. Only one vehicle in the seven and a half years that the governor bought for my convoy. Only one. Every vehicle you see in my convoy, some of them, especially the Landcruiser I used for three years with a coat of arm and flag as staff car, the Prado I used as back-up for three years, was the same that I used as the Majority Leader of the Edo State House of Assembly.

“It was the third year of his first term that the governor eventually bought a Landcruiser jeep. Even when they were bringing the jeep, it had an accident on the way. We had to change the wheels and it took two weeks for us to fix it. I never made it an issue, because for me, anything that will bring trouble I was able to manage it.

“I am happy that I gave everything and I was never found wanting. I was not impeached because I stole money, I was not corrupt, or because of incompetence.

“Today, the court has also told us that what they said was gross misconduct was never a misconduct. They said I gave out government secrets. I have worked diligently with this man. I was asked to perform his duty as acting governor and I was able to organise the security system. I have not done anything wrong to warrant impeachment.”

On the likelihood of forgiving and reconciling with Obaseki in future despite their current bust-up, Shaibu hesitated before saying; “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.”