The reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has claimed that he made his principal, governor Godwin Obaseki, in politics.
Shaibu, who spoke on Friday, on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’, said Obaseki, lacked both political experience and financial resources to contest the election the gubernatorial election in 2016, and he was drafted to the ticket to give it value and appeal.
Both politicians have been embroiled in a rift stemming from their conflicting views over who should be the next governor of the state.
While Obaseki believes another senatorial zone should produce the next governor, Shaibu nursed the ambition to succeed his boss.
“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”, Shaibu said.
“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 deputy governor said Obaseki has shown Nigerians that he is lawless.
He was reacting to the accusations of impersonation that had been levelled against him by the state government.
In a video posted on his X handle on August 12, Shaibu formally announced his resumption as deputy governor.
Shortly afterwards, the Edo government warned organisations to stop interacting with Shaibu.
Chris Nehikhare, commissioner for communication and orientation, said Shaibu was “impersonating” Omobayo Godwins as deputy governor of the state.
Nehikhare said the state government has filed an appeal against the order reinstating Shaibu.
The commissioner said every correspondence from Shaibu should be “disregarded and considered as forgery”.
Reacting to the development, Shaibu accused Obaseki of “disregarding a valid court judgment”.
“The holder of the office of the governor in Edo state today is lawless, Godwin Obaseki is lawless. If he is not lawless, he will not say Philip Shaibu is impersonating because there is a valid court judgment that he has been served,” he said.
“That is not the only court judgement he is not obeying.”
