Philip Shaibu, deputy governor of Edo, says he has been over the moon since the electoral umpire declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the gubernatorial poll.
On Sunday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo of the APC winner of the governorship election conducted on September 21.
Okpebholo, a serving senator, won the election with 291,667 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who got 247,274 votes.
Shaibu was impeached as deputy governor of Edo in April 2024 after falling out with Obaseki.
In July, a federal high court in Abuja nullified the impeachment. James Omotosho, the presiding judge, held that Shaibu’s ouster violated the provisions of the law.
Shaibu defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) afterwards.
‘I HAVE BEEN VINDICATED’
Shaibu is from Etsako west LGA. The APC scored 32,107 in the LGA while the PDP secured 17,483 votes. Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, is also from Etsako west.
Okpebholo won Oredo LGA with 30,780 votes. Obaseki hails from Oredo LGA.
Asue Ighodalo, PDP governorship candidate, secured 24,938 votes, while Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party got 5,389 votes in Oredo.
“I really feel vindicated and I thank God for it. I am so excited and I am happy that I am counted among the number of persons that helped APC to regain government house in Edo state. I am so excited,” he said.
“Not only that I am excited, I have also cancelled that negative impression and blackmail that have been flying that Philip Shaibu does not win his ward. It’s a lie.
“I have never lost my ward. I have never lost my unit. I have always won it. And in the local government, you can see. So, those that have been blackmailing, they can see.
“Even the governor could not win his local government. I won my unit which is number one now in the state. I won my ward and local government. I took first from my unit to ward and to the local government.”
‘OBASEKI REMOVED THE LADDER THAT HELPED HIM’
Shaibu claimed that the PDP lost the election because Obaseki sidelined key members of the party ahead of the governorship election.
“Where is the governor’s result? He has never won. We have always assisted him. But unfortunately, he got the power and he started kicking us and removing the ladder,” Shaibu said.
“It is very unfortunate. I hope he learns his lessons. And what is left for him now is to go back and start begging and apologising to the people of Edo state. He has a lot of them that he needs to apologise to.
“We were 10 (persons) that contested the primary, and out of the 10, he told us to go to hell. The last time I counted, it was 618 key leaders that left PDP for APC.”
