The Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticized former deputy governor Philip Shaibu for his recent remarks against the party’s governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, labeling Ighodalo as an outsider.
The PDP urged Shaibu to resign from the party, citing his contradictory stance of undermining the party while remaining a member.
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Shaibu, who is still a PDP member, announced his support on Sunday for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, in the upcoming September
21 governorship election.
Shaibu argued that Okpebholo, being a local candidate, understood the state’s challenges better than Ighodalo, whom he described as an outsider and a product of godfatherism.
“We don’t want an outsider. We have experimented with an outsider and it is not working, so this time, we want a homeboy. We have only two homeboys in the major political parties; one is in the Labour Party and one is in the All Progressives Congress.”
“I chose to follow the homeboy in the APC. The man they are parading in the PDP is an outsider and we have also agreed that no more godfatherism in Edo. The man the PDP is parading is the godson of Obaseki and there is no way a godson can be governor of Edo State again,” Shaibu stated.
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In response, Rev. Olu Martin, the Deputy Director General of the media arm of the Edo PDP Governorship Campaign Council, dismissed Shaibu’s rationale as unfounded. Martin argued that Ighodalo’s background does not make him a stranger to his state.
“Because the candidate didn’t grow up in Edo, doesn’t make him a stranger in his own state. I thought Shaibu would tell us that the candidate he wants to support has the capacity, intelligence, knack for excellence, and smartness, which are the hallmarks of a great leader,” Martin said in a voice note sent to journalists on Monday.
Martin further criticized Shaibu for his contradictory position, urging him to resign from the PDP if he chooses to support the APC candidate. He emphasized that Shaibu’s argument is weak and lacks merit.
Shaibu had contested for the PDP governorship ticket but lost to Ighodalo, who has the endorsement of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
