Edo Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has finally openly declared to run for the post of governor months after the governor, Godwin Obaseki, took exception to his ambition and ostracized him.
The deputy governor declared that he’s the right man for the job and that the state which is bleeding and is in need of recaue does not need another experiment, in an indirect attack on the governor.
Shaibu who began to make the move months ago to contest the election came under attack from the governor who ensured he renounced his ambition.
He apologised to the governor on several occasions and various interventions from stakeholders and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, eventually calmed the situation.
But as the election draws closer, Shaibu, who restarted his desire for the governorship position met with the Edo State Journalists Forum in Abuja over the weekend where he said, “Those who know me know that I am not a friend to bankers,” in another shot at the governor.
“I have sunk boreholes, renovated many schools with private monies as Deputy Governor. I have built churches and mosques. I am not an advocate of keeping money in the banks. I have conscience, I am a Catholic,” Shaibu declared.
Speaking on Sunday, Shaibu said, “With the 2024 Edo Governorship Election fast approaching, the state could not afford to experiment again with someone who does not understand the politics of the state or the needs of the people.
“Edo people need practical governance and you cannot experiment again with somebody that does not understand the politics of a good state and the needs of the people.”
The News Agency of Nigeria quoted the governor as saying, “Everything we have to do should be assessed.
“You cannot know the needs of the people when you don’t live with them. So for me, competence and experience should be the watchwords as we go into the election in 2024.
“Who is competent? Who is more experienced? Who will hit the ground running from day one?
“Are we going to experiment with a new person again? And the person will spend the first four years learning on the job and he will spend another four years trying to embezzle, set up his businesses in the name of consolidating on the gains of the first term.
“Or we need a governor that from the day one will hit the ground running?”
He further explained that, “From my own experience, I have seen that for me to succeed as a Governor, there must be collaboration
“I understand the debt profile of the state and where I feel I can get funding to put up structure in the state. So, I won’t be coming to learn on the job, but to hit the ground running.”
Identifying what the problems are, Shaibu said, “You see, the problem, what we have in the system is that we have too many seminars, too many workshops, too many programs and you don’t have time to implement their outcomes.”
On the argument for or against rotational governorship, he said,
He challenged the argument that is being advanced for rotational governorship, noting, “There was not and had never been any convention in the state, either through political or traditional conferences where such position was zoned.
“Whoever talks about equity, must come with clean hands.
“Whereas other senatorial districts have had more than one turn in the governorship position in the state, Edo North had only one turn.
“We have had four governors from South, two from Central and only one from North.
“Just like my ambition to be the deputy governor was not mine, but I made myself available, so also the ambition to be governor is still not mine. I’m only making myself available.”