Shaibu Declears Interest to Run for Governor 

The Deputy Governor of Edo state, Philip Shaibu, has officially declared his interest to run for the 2024 governorship election in the state.

Declaring this in a pre-recorded speech aired on Monday, Shaibu said he would run for the office of the number one in the state on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“After all the consultations we have made, we needed to now make the answer to our consultations known to our people. And the answer is clear: they have asked me to run,” Shaibu said amid reverberating cheers of loyalists.

Shaibu also opened his campaign office in Benin City, the state capital, following his formal announcement. Party supporters in branded attire flocked to the event.

Shaibu, who has been the deputy governor since 2016, claimed to have risked his life for the state’s advancement and expansion and that he was committed to restoring the South-South state’s glory.

Recall that Shaibu has been having controversies with his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki, for some time over his political ambition. He has however said though he was persecuted, he was not crushed.

Shaibu has a hard patch in front of him, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set September 21, 2024, as the date for the governorship election. Shaibu would face off against other PDP candidates for the party’s ticket to succeed Obaseki. 

Obaseki and his deputy have been at loggerheads over issues relating to the alleged impeachment plot against Shaibu.

Shaibu filed a lawsuit to stop the conspiracy in July at an Abuja federal high court.

Obaseki and the speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, refuted the reported plot of impeachment.