Edo State Dep Gov., Shaibu Formally Declares For Guber Race Today

Barring unforeseen development, Edo State deputy governor, Mr. Philip Shaibu, will today, officially declare his intention to seek the ticket of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the forthcoming primaries of the party.

According to a close source, all is now certainly set for the epoch making event which would hold in the Edo State capital, Benin City.

The event is expected to feature top PDP politicians from across the 18 local governments of the state and even beyond.

Shaibu dropped hint of his intention to run in the 2024 election when he spoke recently with journalists in Abuja, maintaining that Edo people were in dire need of practical governance and cannot afford to experiment again with someone who does not understand the politics and needs of Edo State.

The deputy governor added: “Everywhere, including the international scene, people are clamouring that governments should not be pushing projects that are not needed.

So, we need to do away with assessment. You cannot know the needs of the people when you don’t live with them.

“For me, competence and experience should be the watchword. Who is competent, more experienced and who will hit the ground running from day one if he becomes governor? Are we going to experiment with a new person again and the person will spend the first four years learning on the job and the next four years trying to embezzle and set up businesses in the name of consolidating on his first term?”

The source disclosed that the grand ceremony was a clear demonstration of the deputy governor’s determination to contest the primary and grab the party’s ticket in the primaries scheduled for next February.

The source, who would not want his name in print, explained that having set up structures throughout the 192 wards and 18 LGAs in Edo, the deputy governor met with chieftains of the party and rented a campaign office on Airport Road, Benin City. The stage is now set for him to finally take the leap of faith.

He said the deputy governor had since patched up with Governor Godwin Obaseki, adding that the amity between the two, which almost turned to enmity, in the wake of the former decision to run in 2024 election, has since returned to cordiality.

He said: “The deputy governor has dotted all his i’s and crossed all his t’s. He has held series of meetings with PDP political leaders across the three senatorial districts and met ordinary Edo people. On November 27, the deputy governor, will by the Grace of God, formally make his intentions to run for the governorship election known. He’ll address Edo people and tell them why he wants to run.”