Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has announced that he is putting his governorship ambition on hold to support the All Progressives Congress candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, in the September 21 governorship election.
Shaibu, who was recently reinstated as deputy governor, accused Governor Godwin Obaseki of frustrating his ambition.
However, he expressed confidence that he would try again in the future, citing his youth as an advantage, according to the PUNCH.
Speaking at the Afemai World Congress in Detroit, Michigan, USA on Sunday, Shaibu endorsed Okpebholo as a better candidate than Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, who is backed by Obaseki.
Shaibu urged the diaspora community to take an interest in Nigerian politics, stating that their involvement is crucial for the country’s development.
The acting Chairman of the Edo APC, Jarret Tenebe, also appealed to the diaspora community to support the party’s efforts to build a better society in Edo State.
He said, “Elections are coming and I would like you to be interested. You see that I have moved from the PDP back to the APC. I moved to the PDP because of the governor (Obaseki) and I am back in the APC because of the governor.
“I wanted to become the governor and they said they would destroy me if I continued to nurse that ambition. They have done everything but God has kept me alive.
“I was impeached but I knew I would come to this programme as the deputy governor. I have been reinstated and my impeachment was part of intimidation and harassment, which I have gone through. We must begin to look for ways to salvage our country.
“I am supporting the APC candidate because he is a breath of fresh air and he is not contaminated yet. He doesn’t speak too much English. He talks less and does more and he is the first person to break the jinx in Edo Central by winning the Senate seat on the platform APC.
“The same scenario that made him a senator is playing out now. It is obvious that the grace of God is upon him. I have played my card, we are still young. If God says I will be governor, then I will be. I have left my ambition to God and we will make Afemai and Edo State, the land of our dream.”
