We Actually Made Obaseki In 2016 – Shaibu
The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has laughed off the insinuation that his rise to political relevance came courtesy of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s goodwill.
According to Shaibu, the reverse is the case of that notion because he was picked as Obaseki’s running mate in 2016 to bring political value to the gubernatorial ticket.
Speaking on Channels Television programme, Politics Today, Shaibu, who recently returned as Deputy Governor following a Court Order quashing his impeachment, said Obaseki lacked the political capital, experience and financial resources to contest election as governor in 2016.
He said; “We made Obaseki governor. Obaseki was not a politician, and Obaseki was not financially strong enough to contest the election.
“Oshiomhole brought him, and when Oshiomhole brought him, some of us argued that it could not be him.
“It took Oshiomhole three months to convince some of our supporters and me to support Obaseki. And when we decided because of Oshiomhole, because of our respect for him, to support him (Obaseki), he did not bring money. We brought our resources and our friends to bring money and we brought our political capital to make him governor.
“He is not the one that made me; I made him. I was asked to be his deputy to add political value because he was not a politician.”
The Edo Deputy Governor said Obaseki should remain ever grateful that he was made governor from his nobody status and history will judge him harshly for being a betrayer in the cause of taking Edo State to the next level.
Comrade Shaibu and Obaseki have been engaged in a supremacy battle following his decision to contest the September 21, 2024 governorship poll in the state.
The political feud led to Shaibu being impeached by the Edo State House of Assembly over allegations of misconduct and he was only recently reinstated to his position by a Federal High Court Order.
But so far, Governor Obaseki has refused to recognise Shaibu, hitherto considered as his right-hand man, even as he maintained that an appeal has been launched to challenge the lower court ruling reinstating him as Deputy Governor.
