Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has said his decision not to support his former deputy, Philip Shaibu, to succeed him was aimed at protecting the people of the state.
Obaseki stated that he could not take the risk of backing Shaibu to become the next governor, citing political permutations in the state that were against Shaibu.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the governor addressed the fallout between him and his former Deputy in the build-up to the Peoples Democratic Party primary election.
The fallout resulted in Shaibu conducting a parallel primary election, which declared him as a candidate, but the party rejected his candidacy. Subsequently, due to the face-off with his principal, the state House of Assembly impeached him.
Speaking on the matter, Obaseki stated, “For me, I did not understand where the ambition was coming from because it was clear that the odds were not in his favor in terms of succeeding me, and I made it very clear.”
“So, I could not take any risk on his ambition because I have to protect the Edo people. So, I could not take that risk on Edo people.”
Shaibu, in response to his impeachment, described the development as an attack on the country’s democracy.
In a social media video post, Shaibu stated, “This is not just an attack on me as an individual but on the democracy that we hold dear.”
“It is a dangerous descent into dictatorship and a threat to the foundation of our democracy. Let it be clear that this impeachment was hatched because of my ambition to contest the Edo State 2024 governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. An ambition that is a legal right to all citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”