The Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has sharply criticised former deputy governor Philip Shaibu for labelling the party’s governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, as an outsider. The PDP described Shaibu’s actions as contradictory and urged him to resign his membership if he continues to undermine the party’s candidate.
Shaibu, who remains a PDP member, announced on Sunday that he would support the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, in the upcoming September 21 governorship election. Shaibu argued that Okpebholo, whom he called a “homeboy,” understood the state’s challenges better than Ighodalo, whom he dismissed as an outsider and a product of godfatherism.
“We don’t want an outsider. We have experimented with an outsider, and it is not working. This time, we want a homeboy. We have only two homeboys in the major political parties; one in the Labour Party and one in the All Progressives Congress. I chose to follow the homeboy in the APC. The man they are parading in the PDP is an outsider and the godson of Obaseki, and there is no way a godson can be governor of Edo State again,” Shaibu stated.
In response, Rev. Olu Martin, Deputy Director General of the media arm of the Edo PDP Governorship Campaign Council, dismissed Shaibu’s reasoning as unfounded. “Because the candidate didn’t grow up in Edo, doesn’t make him a stranger in his own state. I thought Shaibu would tell us that the candidate he wants to support has the capacity, intelligence, knack for excellence, and smartness, which are the hallmarks of a great leader,” Martin remarked in a voice note to journalists on Monday.
Martin further criticised Shaibu for remaining in the PDP while supporting a rival candidate. “The honourable thing he should have done is to resign from the PDP like others and support the APC candidate. His argument is that of weak people,” he added.
Shaibu had contested but lost the PDP governorship ticket to Ighodalo, who enjoys the backing of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
