Edo cannot experiment with another person, Shaibu says as he attacks Obaseki

Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor of Edo State, has declared his intention to contest the governorship office. Shaibu, at a news briefing on Sunday, said it would be ‘a costly mistake’ to have a greenhorn who doesn’t live with the state’s citizens or understand their needs. He is believed to have directed his innuendo at his boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki.

He said, “Those who know me know that I am not a friend to bankers,” in another shot at the governor.

“I have sunk boreholes, renovated many schools with private monies as Deputy Governor. I have built churches and mosques. I am not an advocate of keeping money in the banks. I have conscience, I am a Catholic.

“With the 2024 Edo Governorship Election fast approaching, the state could not afford to experiment again with someone who does not understand the politics of the state or the needs of the people.

“Edo people need practical governance and you cannot experiment again with somebody that does not understand the politics of a good state and the needs of the people.”

“Everything we have to do should be assessed.

“You cannot know the needs of the people when you don’t live with them. So for me, competence and experience should be the watchwords as we go into the election in 2024.

“Who is competent? Who is more experienced? Who will hit the ground running from day one?

“Are we going to experiment with a new person again? And the person will spend the first four years learning on the job and he will spend another four years trying to embezzle, set up his businesses in the name of consolidating on the gains of the first term.

“Or we need a governor that from the day one will hit the ground running?”

“From my own experience, I have seen that for me to succeed as a Governor, there must be collaboration

“I understand the debt profile of the state and where I feel I can get funding to put up structure in the state. So, I won’t be coming to learn on the job, but to hit the ground running.”

“You see, the problem, what we have in the system is that we have too many seminars, too many workshops, too many programs and you don’t have time to implement their outcomes.”

“There was not and had never been any convention in the state, either through political or traditional conferences where such position was zoned.

“Whoever talks about equity, must come with clean hands.

“Whereas other senatorial districts have had more than one turn in the governorship position in the state, Edo North had only one turn.

“We have had four governors from South, two from Central and only one from North.

“Just like my ambition to be the deputy governor was not mine, but I made myself available, so also the ambition to be governor is still not mine. I’m only making myself available.”