Ahead of the September 21, 2024 Edo gubernatorial election, the state’s embattled deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, has drummed support for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Monday Okpebholo, News About Nigeria reports.
Shaibu, who made the claims in an interview on TVC on Tuesday night, noted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, cannot win the election because no one knew him even in his village before the Edo guber race.
He also alleged that the majority of registered voters in the state will vote for Okpebholo.
Shaibu further accused Governor Godwin Obaseki of bringing disunity to the PDP, adding that he is the sole reason why many members defected to the APC.
He said, “Edo people see Okpebholo as a homeboy, they see him as a natural person, and an organic person that they can support. That is what also attracted me to him because we are done with these technocrats. We are done with it in Edo state. Obaseki has proven that it is not about where you’re coming from, it is about the character and we have seen that character in Asue. Asue and Obaseki are just the same. Asue is a visitor. Asue has been in the state now as an economic adviser. He was not known in his village until he decided that he wanted to contest for election. But now he is looking for votes. You can see from his first visit to his village. They had to take an interpreter to his village.
“We are very ready for the election and we are sure of victory because we have all decided that we don’t want a governor that divides us. We want a governor that will unite us and bring development. We are all united to vote APC. The governor has created division in his party and that has led to the exodus of members out of PDP to APC. We left APC to join PDP when we perceived that there was oppression and returning (to APC), we return with the same people plus the legacy PDP. So, as we speak today, the heart of PDP has left APC and what is (remaining) there is just Obaseki and his so-called group. I am confident because politics is about structure. The structure of PDP has joined the structure of APC.”
