Politics
Edo 2024: Mark This Date, My Name Will Be On The Ballot -Dep Gov, Shaibu Declares
election is an off-cycle process to determine the next Governor
Despite the staunch opposition from Governor Godwin Obaseki, the embattled Deputy Governor of Edo state- Philip Shaibu – insists that he would be on the ballot as the candidate of his party for the 2024 gubernatorial election.
The election is an off-cycle process to determine the next Governor of Edo state.
Governor Obaseki for the past five months has been at the heart of different efforts to stop the gubernatorial ambition of the Deputy Governor.
Shaibu in providing an insight into his ordeal declared that only God is seeing him through the kind of intimidation and harassment he is witnessing during a television station appearance.
In the face of all these, he insists that he would be on the ballot as the gubernatorial candidate of his party.
“I will beat the so-called candidate (of Obaseki).. Mark this date, I will be on the ballot” the troubled Deputy Governor asserted with great confidence as a virtual guest on Journalists Hangout, the popular programme on Television station – TVC.
Shaibu who disclosed that the Governor has stopped monthly allocations to his office for the past 5 months declared himself the candidate to beat on the Monday, November 27, 2023 edition of the programme.
“I am the only person in the news, the one they are blocking not to contest, for close to five months no allocation to my office. I understand the intimidation and harassment.
“All these things point to the fact that I am the candidate to beat.” he asserted.
And added that “I refuse to be distracted.”.
“My name will be on the ballot. I am a member of the PDP. And my name will be on the ballot and my party” he reiterated in reaction to posers concerning defection to another political party in the face of Obaseki’s hard stance against him.
He also talked up his confidence a notch higher with the claim that ” I am confident the Governor will support me.”
Before things fell apart between them over the Deputy Governor’s gubernatorial ambition, Obaseki and Shaibu joined hands to wrestle political power from their godfather, Adams Oshiomhole.
Shaibu who labeled the move based on “principle” was a longtime protege of Oshiomhole.
