Philip Shaibu, the reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, has opened up about his decision to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Shaibu, who recently paid a courtesy visit to the APC National Working Committee in Abuja, attributed his defection to the dictatorial behavior of his former principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Shaibu claimed that Obaseki’s refusal to reason with him and threats to destroy him if he pursued his governorship ambition led to his resolve to contest.
He stated that he had won the Edo State PDP governorship primary with 381 delegates but was shut out of the venue, leading to a court ruling in his favor.
Shaibu described Obaseki as a dictator, saying he felt betrayed despite his loyalty and sacrifices.
He emphasized that his decision to contest was driven by his conviction that no one could destroy God’s plan for him.
He said, “The truth is that the issues were all political. I declared to contest for the governor of Edo State. That is where the fight started.”
Looking pensive, the deputy governor told journalists that he did everything humanly possible to pacify his boss to no avail.
“He (Obaseki) said, ‘You cannot contest because I have my plans’. The next thing was that he would destroy me if I continued.
For me, no man can destroy the plan of God. As an activist, that day I made up my mind that I was going to contest. As of the time our conversation was on, I was still consulting. I went into the race and I won it because II played high-powered politics.
They are not politicians. They rode on our back to where they are. In the politics I played, I actually had 400 out of the 572 delegates.
“A week to the primary, I lost some and had 381. So I brought those 381 on the day of the primary but they were refused accreditation. They took the accreditation tags and gave to their appointees to go and do Aso Ebi reception at the stadium they call primaries. Now, the court has ruled that the delegates I had were the authentic delegates and the ones they brought were fake. So as it is, they have boxed themselves into a corner where I don’t want to go because it is a legal issue.
Shaibu’s defection comes after a tumultuous period in Edo State politics, marked by a bitter falling out between him and Obaseki.
