Battle For Edo 2024 PDP Ticket Thickens, As Obaseki Freezes Funding for Deputy Governor’s Office

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By Correspondent

• Defiant Shaibu Says Edo Needs Practical, Not Experimental Governance”

The trouble between Governor Godwin Obaseki and his Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu has developed into ‘silent war’. After series of public attack on Shaibu by Obaseki, the governor may have decided to switch his tactics to avoid further backlash from the public.

Midwest Herald investigation revealed that the office of the deputy governor has been blocked from accessing allocations that are contained in the 2023 budget.

A ‘no pay’ order was placed on all request emanating from the Permanent Secretary to the office of the deputy governor about six months ago.

Comrade Shaibu, we learnt, has been shouldering the running expenses of the deputy governor’s office. Our credible source revealed a plan that was hatched to back the withholding of funds.

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“What happened is that, the governor ordered a downward review of the current budget and prorated the portion of the balance in selected MDAs, including the deputy governor’s office.

“On completion of the process, nothing was left in his office for the remaining part of the 2023 fiscal year.”

Meanwhile, Comrade Shaibu has gone ahead to solidify his aspiration to contest the 2024 governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic, PDP.

The event which took place yesterday, November 19, 2023 in Abuja, gave him the opportunity to address several issues concerning Edo State.

Shaibu assured that, he is optimistic that he will get the 2024 People’s Democratic Party, PDP, governorship ticket in the state.

He insisted that what Edo State needs is a practical and not experimental governance, while adding that the state cannot afford to experiment with someone who does not understand the needs of the people.

“With the 2024 Edo governorship election fast approaching, the state can not afford to experiment again with someone who does not understand the politics of the state or the needs of the people,” Shaibu said.

“Edo people need practical governance and you cannot experiment again with somebody that do not understand the politics of a good state and the needs of the people.”

The deputy governor frowned at misplaced projects which some stakeholders have complained about recently, and added that citizens are asking the government to stop pushing for projects that are not needed in any environment.

“You cannot know the need of the people when you don’t live with them.  So for me, competence and experience should be the watchword as we go into election in 2024.

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

Shaibu said for any government to succeed, there must be collaboration between the state and the federal government.

“From my own experience, I have seen that for me to succeed as a governor, there must be collaboration,” he added.

“I understand the debt profile of the state and where I feel I can get funding to put up structure in the state. So, I won’t be coming to learn on the job, but to hit the ground running.”

On the unwritten rotational principle among the three senatorial districts, Shaibu said while the other zones have had more than a turn at producing a governor, Edo North has had just one turn.

“Whereas other senatorial districts have had more than one turn in the governorship position in the state, Edo North had only one turn,” he said.

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“We have had four governors from south, two from central and only one from north.

“Just like my ambition to be the deputy governor was not mine, but I made myself available, so also the ambition to be governor is still not mine. I’m only making myself available.”

“I am still consulting and in the coming days, the outcome of my consultation will be made public. My first option is PDP, second option is PDP and the third is PDP. PDP wants to win the election and if it must win the election, the party must listen to the voice of the people. I have told them that I am a PDP member and i am sure I will get the PDP ticket. They are mobilising for me to get the ticket, he explained

He explained that, Edo people are in dire need of practical governance, and “we cannot afford to experiment again with someone who does not understand the politics and needs of Edo State”.

According to him, experience, capacity, and knowledge are some of the factors that separate him from anyone desirous of succeeding Governor Godwin Obaseki.

On Zoning, Shaibu said there is no convention or agreement that speaks on zoning, adding that since the return to democracy in 1999, the Peoples Democratic Party was yet to give its governorship ticket to any aspirant from Edo North.

“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.

“If you check the structures of those that have been Governors in Edo State, there is no where you will see the issue of zoning. We had four Governors from Edo South, two from Edo Central and only one from Edo North.

“When you look at the PDP, the party has never given its Governorship ticket to any candidate from Edo North, If I get the ticket of the PDP, I will be the first candidate of the PDP from Edo North since 1999,” Shaibu said.

He also shed light on ’embezzlement’. “If I get the PDP ticket, the people will see my street credibility. I am not going into governorship to build estates.

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“The only estate I owe my children is their education. Those who know me know that I am not a friend to bankers. I have sunk boreholes and renovated many schools with private monies as Deputy Governor.

“You saw the Oghieneni’s Palace that we built in my area. I am a project driven person, I have built churches and mosques.”

Comrade Shaibu retorted that he was not one of those that hide money in the banks because he is a conscientious Catholic.

“With the 2024 Edo Governorship Election fast approaching, the state could not afford to experiment again with someone who does not understand the politics of the state or the needs of the people.

“So, everything we have to do should be assessed.

“You cannot know the needs of the people when you don’t live with them. So for me, competence and experience should be the watchword as we go into election in 2024.

“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 we need a governor that from the day one will hit the ground running?” He asked rhetorically.

He said, “From my own experience, I have seen that for me to succeed as a Governor, there must be collaboration.

“I understand the debt profile of the state and where I feel I can get funding to put up a structure in the state. So, I won’t be coming to learn on the job, but to hit the ground running.”

Shaibu added his voice to those who have criticized the wasteful spending seminars, workshops and programmes, with little or nothing to show for it.

“You see, the problem, we have in the system is that, we have too many seminars, too many workshops, too many programs and you don’t have time to implement their outcomes.”