After enduring months of controversy and upheaval, Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, took a decisive step on Monday by officially announcing his candidacy for the 2024 gubernatorial election in the state.
In a prerecorded speech broadcast today, Shaibu, who has held the position of deputy governor since 2016, revealed his intention to vie for the state’s top office under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Following his formal declaration, Shaibu inaugurated his campaign office in Benin City, the state capital.
The 53-year-old politician asserted that he has staked his life for the advancement and prosperity of the state, expressing his determination to restore greatness to the South-South state.
Despite an ongoing political rift with his superior, Governor Godwin Obaseki, regarding his political aspirations, Shaibu declared that he may have been persecuted, but he remains unbroken.
Hailing from the Edo North Senatorial District, the same district as former governor and current legislator Adams Oshiomhole, Shaibu and Obaseki were once allies of Oshiomhole. However, their political ties frayed leading up to the 2020 governorship election when the ex-labor leader faced accusations of ‘godfatherism,’ which he vehemently denied.
Both Obaseki and Shaibu successfully secured re-election, overcoming opposition from Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was supported by Oshiomhole and other prominent APC figures, including former governor of Lagos State now president; Bola Tinubu.
