Philip Shaibu, the reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, announced that he considers himself an unofficial member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). This statement was made during an appearance on Arise TV’s morning show on Friday.
Shaibu, who was recently reinstated after being impeached by the Edo State House of Assembly, confessed that although he has not formally left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his loyalty has shifted.
“In PDP now, everybody can support whoever they like. On the issue of supporting a candidate, the constitution guarantees that you can support who you like and you can belong to any political party,” Shaibu stated.
Elaborating on his stance, Shaibu added, “As of now, I’m a PDP man and I will not support anybody while I am in another party contrary to who I am supporting. For now, I am a member of PDP but going forward, I am good as being a member of APC; I can tell you that.”
When questioned about his dual party affiliations, Shaibu firmly responded, “No, two legs in APC. The only thing that is keeping me in PDP is that I have not officially declared. Talking more seriously, I am actually a member of APC, but unofficial. My spirit has left PDP for a long time, it is only my leg and body that are still there because my PDP party card is still with me and I have not picked an APC party card yet. But in terms of spirit, my spirit has left PDP and is now in APC.”
Adding to the political tension, Shaibu revealed his efforts to communicate with Governor Godwin Obaseki amidst the state’s political crisis. Shaibu claimed to have called the governor 111 times without any response. “I had made up my mind not to call him again, but I always send him texts. Before now, when I started counting, I called him (Obaseki) 111 times during that crisis, but he never picked up. I sent him texts, and he never replied, but it never really mattered. The last text I sent to him was on his birthday,” Shaibu shared.
The backdrop of Shaibu’s statements is his recent impeachment on April 8, 2024, which was overturned by Justice J.K. Omotosho of the Abuja High Court, citing the impeachment as unjust.
Amidst this political drama, a police officer identified as Okon, assigned to the APC governorship candidate Monday Okpebholo, was killed in an attack on their convoy in Benin on Thursday. The incident occurred shortly after Shaibu and Okpebholo arrived at the Benin Airport to a welcoming crowd.
