Following Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki’s defection to opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to seek gubernatorial re-election in the State, his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, has also led his supporters in defecting to the PDP.
Mr Obaseki defected to PDP today following his disqualification by his former party, APC, from seeking re-election allegedly for submitting questionable certificates, in an exercise he an his supporters described as unjust amid lingering political crisis in the party.
The Edo governor later announced his resignation from the APC.
Comrade Shaibu, who spoke to journalists after obtaining his PDP membership card at the party secretariat in Benin City, expressed disappointment over the undemocratic actions and tendencies of Comrade Adams Oshiomole in his management of the APC at the national level.
He stated, “I have a mixed feeling with this action. First, one struggled to form a party and after forming that party, those that benefitted from the party took over the party and became tyrants. It is not always easy that after one helped to form and nurture a party, one individual would say he is an Adolf Hitler in the system and becomes undemocratic. That was what happened in the APC.”
Comrade Shaibu, however, expressed his unalloyed loyalty to Edo people, noting that their calls for the governor and his team to join the PDP has been heard.
He assured that Governor Obaseki remains steadfast with his vision and mission to actualise the aspirations of Edo people and that the strides made in social, economic and human capital development of the state must not be compromised.
He said: “Some of us believe in the people. We believe that the people must lead at all times. Because of that, we cannot afford to abandon this state for people like that. That is why we decided to abandon them in APC and join the PDP today.”
