Jonathan Nwokpor
Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki said he chose to safeguard the state’s citizens by not endorsing Philip Shaibu, his former deputy, to succeed him.
Citing the political maneuverings in the state that worked against Shaibu, Obaseki declared that he could not take the chance of supporting Shaibu to be the next governor.
In the run-up to the Peoples Democratic Party primary election, the governor discussed the rift with his former deputy in an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Shaibu held a parallel primary election due to the fallout, declaring himself a candidate; however, the party rejected his candidature. Following his confrontation with his principal, he was impeached by the state House of Assembly.
Speaking about the subject, Obaseki stated, “For me, I did not understand where the ambition was coming from because it was clear that the odds were not in his favor in terms of succeeding me, and I made it very clear.”
“So, I could not take any risk on his ambition because I have to protect the Edo people. So, I could not take that risk on Edo people.”
In reaction to his impeachment, Shaibu called the event an assault on democracy in the nation.
In a social media video post, Shaibu stated, “This is not just an attack on me as an individual but on the democracy that we hold dear.”
“It is a dangerous descent into dictatorship and a threat to the foundation of our democracy. Let it be clear that this impeachment was hatched because of my ambition to contest the Edo State 2024 governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. An ambition that is a legal right to all citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
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