The political deadlock in Edo State shifted on Thursday as Governor Godwin Obaseki announced that the fate of his deputy, Philip Shaibu, regarding his gubernatorial aspirations, will be decided by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
On Monday, Shaibu officially entered the contest for Dennis Osadebay House, putting an end to months of speculation about his plans for the 2024 governorship election in Edo State.
However, a few days after this announcement, Obaseki, who initially rose to power within the All Progressives Congress (APC) and later shifted to the PDP after a disagreement with his predecessor Adams Oshiomhole, stated that his deputy’s destiny would be determined by the country’s primary opposition party.
“The party will decide and also members of the party will decide who will be the flag bearer of the party in the forthcoming governorship election,” Obaseki, 66, said after a closed-door meeting with his Bauchi counterpart Bala Mohammed and a former Akwa-Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel.”
“The relationship as you know, has been cordial. He (Philip) wants to run for the office I currently occupy and he is free to. I think as a Nigerian, he has the constitutional right to run, nobody can or should stop him.”
But when asked if he would support Shaibu, he said: “I’m only one out of millions of our party members in Edo state. I don’t think my vote alone will determine whether he becomes the party’s flag bearer.”
‘Nigerians Are Suffering’
The Edo governor clarified that their visit to Bauchi was centered around discussions on party politics and national matters.
In the midst of the escalating cost of living triggered by the removal of fuel subsidy, Governor Obaseki emphasizes the need for the nation’s leaders to be proactive solution providers.
“Nigerians are suffering, and the suffering is unprecedented. But I think we should stop lamenting and think of what to do as leaders to confront the issues we face to reduce the suffering of our people and put more food on the tables,” he said.
“The year is coming to an end and the prices of food items are going up what can we, as PDP governors do to ameliorate the sufferings of our people? These are some of the things we came to talk about while preserving the unity of this country.”