Edo: Amid rift, Shaibu declares for governor

By Hannah Nathan, Warri

Deputy Governor of Edo State Philip Shaibu has declared his intention to run for governor, a bold move that had angered his boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, platform was where the deputy governor, who had been at knifepoint with his boss, unveiled his desire to succeed him as governor.

“Edo needs a practical leader,” stated Philip, who was recently kicked out of the Deputy Governor’s Lodge, as the reason he decided to enter the race.

He implied that Obaseki, who had been in charge of the State for almost eight years, was an experimental leader.

“With the 2024 Edo governorship election fast approaching, the state cannot afford to experiment again with someone who does not understand the politics of the state or the needs of the people,” Philip said in an address to reporters in Benin City.

“Edo people require practical governance, and you cannot continue to experiment with someone who is ignorant of both the demands of the populace and the politics of a good state.”

Thus, every task at hand needs to be evaluated. When you don’t live with someone, you can’t understand their needs. Thus, in my opinion, the key words heading into the election should be competence and experience.

“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 do we need a governor that from day one will hit the ground running?”