By Ayo Kehinde
Edo State ex-Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu has declared he is already an unofficial member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, adding that he was merely bidding his time in the PDP until he officially dumps the ruling party in the state.
He also disclosed this in an Arise TV interview on Friday, explaining why he was in the company of the APC candidate, Senator Okpebholo on Thursday when their convoy came under attack by thugs on Airport Road, Benin-City. According to him, his spirit has since left the PDP.
He said, “In PDP now, everybody can support whoever they like. On the issue of supporting a candidate, the constitution guarantees that you can support who you like and you can belong to any political party,” adding that “As of now, I’m a PDP man and I will not support anybody while I am in another party contrary to who I am supporting. For now, I am a member of PDP but going forward, I am good as being a member of APC; I can tell you that I have my two legs in APC.
“The only thing that is keeping me in PDP is that I have not officially declared. Talking more seriously, I am actually a member of APC, but on official. My spirit has left PDP for a long time, it is only my leg and body that are still there because my PDP party card is still with me and I have not picked an APC party card yet. But in terms of spirit, my spirit has left PDP and is now in APC.”
He blamed Governor Godwin Obaseki for fuelling the political crisis between them stating that his attempts to call a truce by phoning Obaseki, 111 times failed to yield any result.
“I had made up my mind not to call him again, but I always send him texts. Before now, when I started counting, I called him (Obaseki) 111 times during that crisis, but he never picked up. I sent him texts, and he never replied, but it never really mattered. The last text I sent to him was on his birthday,” Shaibu said.
Thursday attack happened on Airport Road, when Senator Okpebholo and several others, arrived the city from Abuja aboard a chartered flight.
A police officer was said to have been shot dead while three others were wounded.
It was not immediately known if Okpebholo was wounded, but he is said to be hospitalised in an undisclosed hospital in Benin City.
Meanwhile, a police officer identified as Okon and attached to the APC candidate in the September 21 governorship election, Monday Okpebholo, killed after thugs attacked his convoy and that of Shaibu, in Benin on Thursday after leaving the Benin Airport.
Shaibu and Okpebholo arrived at the Benin Airport around 2 pm to the rousing welcome of supporters.
The gunmen in a vehicle, at the exit gate of the airport, were said to have opened fire on the convoy, which led to a reprisal by the armed security details attached to the APC candidate and Shaibu.
The incident forced shops and offices to hurriedly shot down, while majority of motorists abandoned their vehicles and scampered to safety.
But a statement by Mr Godswill Inegbe, an aide to Okpebholo said his principal was attacked by the gunmen.
“During the unprovoked attack, three mobile policemen attached to the security detail of Sen. Okpebholo were injured with bullet wounds, while one of the policemen has been feared dead,” Inegbe said.
According to him, Okpebholo is at this moment admitted in an undisclosed hospital in Benin for medical attention with other members of the entourage.
In its reaction, the Edo government alleged that it had observed the level of wanton destruction perpetrated by thugs working in connivance with the former deputy governor.
Chris Nehikhare, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation alleged that Shaibu-led thugs have unleashed mayhem on innocent citizens in the guise of enforcing the judgement reinstating him to office.
“We want to reiterate that Shaibu will face the consequences of violence that he has resorted to in pursuit of his aim to return to the Government House even when he is aware that a stay of execution of the judgement has been filed,” he said.
The Commissioner enjoined the general public to be calm and go about their lawful businesses.
On the Thursday attack on Senator Okpebholo and Shaibu, Public Relations Officer of the Police Command in Edo, SP Chidi Nwabuzor said the incident was being investigated.
“It is premature for the police to confirm at this time until the investigation is concluded,” he said.
Few days earlier, Shaibu who was impeached by the State House of Assembly on April 8, 2024, was last Wednesday reinstated following a ruling by Justice J.K. Omotosho of the Abuja High Court, who held that ruled that the former Deputy Governor was unjustly impeached.
The House of Assembly reacted immediately in a statement that it had appealed the judgement.
