The reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philips Shaibu, has said he was already an unofficial member of the All Progressives Congress or APC because he has not officially dumped the Peoples Democratic Party or PDP.
He stated this on Friday during an interview on Arise TV a day after the APC governorship candidate, Monday Okpebholo’s campaign convoy was attacked.
Shaibu was campaigning with Okpebholo when the attack happened. A police officer was killed during the attack.
Shaibu emphasised that he is still a member of the PDP because he was yet to officially dump the party.
When pressed why he’s still in PDP yet supporting an APC candidate, he said his spirit has left the PDP noting, “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 said.
He 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.”
He denied having one leg in the PDP saying, “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 on official.
“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.”
He lambasted Governor Godwin Obaseki for not picking his calls since the duo fell out alleging he had called him 111 times without the governor picking or returning the calls.
“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 said.
NewsNGR reports that Shaibu was impeached by the State House of Assembly on April 8, 2024 but was reinstated on Wednesday after Justice J.K. Omotosho of the Abuja High Court ruled that he was unjustly impeached.