Edo State Deputy Governor and an aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in the forthcoming governorship election in the State, Philip Shaibu, has said nobody can stop him from getting the governorship ticket of the party.
Freelanews reports that Shaibu declared his interest in contesting the 2024 governorship election on Monday.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had earlier announced September 21, 2024, as the election date.
The deputy governor said having been in politics for 30 years and working with Governor Godwin Obaseki in the last seven years to improve the state, he was in the best position to succeed his principal.
Shaibu, on Tuesday, while speaking on Channels TV Sunrise Daily programme said, “I can assure you that I will secure the ticket and my name and the party will be on the ballot. Nothing will happen because my name will be there.
“My name will be sent to INEC and I will be the candidate for the party in the election because I don’t do things without checking. I have gone round and consulted and I have been assured.”
Shaibu further admitted that Adams Oshiomhole is his father and would find time to apologise to him.
He said, “My relationship with Adams Oshiomhole is cordial. When I mean cordial, he is still my father. Politically, we are in different political parties.”
He added, “I am happy that the governor (Obaseki) has started inviting the former governor (Oshiomhole) and my father to political functions. That is what I have been praying for.
“And now that he has started, I think that the next step is for me to reach him and also first apologise to him (Oshiomhole) for some use of words during the election but in terms of principle of supporting Obaseki, I will still support Obaseki because God told me that is the right thing to do.
“One of the crises that I had was when I went to the Senate to congratulate Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and I was seen in a viral video. That was where my headache started because the governor’s style is that a friend of the governor, you must be friend to him and an enemy to the governor, you must be enemy to him. I understand that principle and I am being careful.
“What I was waiting for was for the governor to make that move because I will not make that move if the governor had not made the move. Now that he has made the move to be inviting Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, I am emboldened to go and see him,”
Earlier, on Monday, during his formal declaration, Shaibu had said, “Nobody can stop my ambition.”
The deputy governor promised to deliver practical governance if elected governor of the state in 2024.
Shaibu, who vowed to deliver practical governance said, “They (Edo people) have asked me to go and run and they said I am the one they see not just as a street boy but original own boy that can live there.
“I can assure you that by the grace of God, we will deliver practical governance.”
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
