Reinstated Edo Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu revealed that he would have abandoned his governorship ambition if his principal, Godwin Obaseki, had approached him in a reasonable and respectful manner.

However, Shaibu claimed that Obaseki’s dictatorial behavior and threats to “destroy” him only strengthened his resolve to pursue his ambition.

Shaibu maintained that he legitimately won the Edo State PDP governorship primary with the support of 381 delegates, but was unfairly excluded from the voting process.

He expressed feelings of betrayal by Obaseki despite his loyalty and sacrifices.

Shaibu made these statements during a courtesy visit to the APC National Working Committee in Abuja, following his defection from the PDP to the APC.

He said, “The truth is that the issues were all political. I declared to contest for the governor of Edo State. That is where the fight started.”

Looking pensive, the deputy governor told journalists that he did everything humanly possible to pacify his boss to no avail.

“He (Obaseki) said, ‘You cannot contest because I have my plans’. The next thing was that he would destroy me if I continued. For me, no man can destroy the plan of God. As an activist, that day I made up my mind that I was going to contest. As of the time our conversation was on, I was still consulting. I went into the race and I won it because I played high-powered politics. They are not politicians. They rode on our back to where they are. In the politics I played, I actually had 400 out of the 572 delegates.

“A week to the primary, I lost some and had 381. So I brought those 381 on the day of the primary but they were refused accreditation. They took the accreditation tags and gave to their appointees to go and do Aso Ebi reception at the stadium they call primaries. Now, the court has ruled that the delegates I had were the authentic delegates and the ones they brought were fake. So as it is, they have boxed themselves into a corner where I don’t want to go because it is a legal issue.

“We are in court and by the grace of God, I had already been vindicated by two judgments. What is critical is that I want to prove internal democracy must be respected and allowed to play. You can lobby, you can talk to people and people will understand. If the governor had shown leadership, maybe I wouldn’t have contested because I am not a desperate person. My ambition is not inordinate. I have an ambition to fix the state. If somebody else can agree that we collectively fix it, I will follow. But the governor wanted to behave like a military dictator. And for me, we fought. I have captained people that have fought for this democracy. I started from the youth wing. I am sure I am one of the top people you will mention for this democracy that we now have. And for me, I cannot watch this democracy be derailed and allow dictatorship to take control.”

He described as false the claim that he went away with 22 official vehicles after his impeachment.

According to the accountant-turned-politician, the governor bought only one official car for his convoy in the seven and a half years of their administration.

Shaibu said, “The easiest way to have a disagreement is money. Even my official entitlements, most of them I didn’t even apply for them. That is, anything that has to do with going to meet the governor to apply for anything, including my personal or official entitlement. I confined myself within the official salary that came to me. “Recently, I saw an advert that I should return 22 vehicles. Only one vehicle in the seven and a half years that the governor bought for my convoy. Only one. Every vehicle you see in my convoy, some of them, especially the Landcruiser I used for three years with a coat of arm and flag as staff car, the Prado I used as back-up for three years, was the same that I used as the Majority Leader of the Edo State House of Assembly.

“It was the third year of his first term that the governor eventually bought a Landcruiser jeep. Even when they were bringing the jeep, it had an accident on the way. We had to change the wheels and it took two weeks for us to fix it. I never made it an issue, because for me, anything that will bring trouble I was able to manage it. I am happy that I gave everything and I was never found wanting. I was not impeached because I stole money, I was not corrupt, or because of incompetence.

“Today, the court has also told us that what they said was gross misconduct was never a misconduct. They said I gave out government secrets. I have worked diligently with this man. I was asked to perform his duty as acting governor and I was able to organise the security system. I have not done anything wrong to warrant impeachment.”

When asked if he could ever forgive Obaseki for treating him as an outcast, Shaibu hesitated before nodding.

He said, “The only person that is perfect is the Almighty God. None of us created by God is perfect. One of the greatest commandments in the world is ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ If all of us can actually take to that commandment, there will be peace in the world. But I have just discovered that there is no perfect relationship with what has happened between the governor and me.

“From my own end, I gave everything. I gave all to have him succeed. Because, for me, it is about the state and the state in everything. So, I gave everything even my official earnings. I forfeited lots of my official entitlement. Why? It is because I didn’t want any trouble or disagreement.”

President Bola Tinubu has declared his independence from any influential group or individual, stating that he does not take orders from a “cabal” or “moneybag”.

During a meeting with a delegation of Islamic leaders at the Aso Rock Villa on Thursday, Tinubu emphasized that he personally funded his election campaign, implying that he is not beholden to any external interests or benefactors.

“I have no cabal. I have no sponsors. The money I spent on the elections was my personal fortune,” the president said

“At some point, the odds were against me; banks were locked. But Allah, the Almighty God, said I will be the President. Mine is to now follow the leading and teaching of the Almighty God.

“One of the most potent elements of defence is a good conscience. It is also a defence against corruption.

“What should be uppermost in our minds is the future of our children. We have a lot to teach them on what it takes to be a good citizen and what it takes to be a responsible citizen.”

Tinubu said the planned nationwide protest could degenerate into violence and set the country backwards, adding that its sponsors do not love the country.

“The sponsors of protests do not love our country. They have no love for the nation. They do not understand citizenship. They have alternative passports. They are in different parts of the world holding meetings virtually,” he said.

“We do not want to turn Nigeria into Sudan. We are talking about hunger, not burials.

“We have to be careful. We should be careful with premature politics; politics of hate, and anger.

“We are reworking the social welfare scheme to reach the ward level, which is the closest to our people. We are going to ensure that we re-establish connection with the wards, again, so that we can give allowances to the poor and the vulnerable.

“The student loans will pay for school fees. There will be monetary support for the education of our children.”

Bala Lau, a sheikh and leader of the delegation, said they would keep praying for peace in the country.

Two weeks after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling granting financial autonomy to local governments in Nigeria, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has expressed confidence in the commission’s ability to successfully conduct local government elections if mandated by law.

Yakubu made this declaration during his appearance before a Joint National Assembly Committee on Electoral Matters, where he presented the budget for the Ondo and Edo off-cycle elections.

However, he raised concerns about funding for by-elections in the country. Currently, state governments are responsible for organizing local government elections, which has led to allegations of bias, with ruling parties often sweeping the chairmanship seats of all local councils. Opposition parties have criticized this arrangement.

Yakubu emphasized that INEC has a proven track record of conducting hitch-free elections in the 62 wards of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area councils, in addition to national and state government positions.

With amendments to certain provisions of the electoral laws, he believes INEC can conveniently conduct local government elections across all 774 local government areas.

For the September 21, 2024, Edo governorship poll and the November 16, 2024, Ondo governorship election, the INEC boss urged Nigerians to appreciate the tremendous technological improvements of the commission.

He ruled out frequent malfunctions of the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal that characterised the 2023 presidential election, maintaining that the commission has learnt its lessons.

He further explained that the commission has no fears regarding the funding for off-cycle elections, as the executive has pledged to release funds for the seven by-elections before the commission.

Again, Mahmood appealed to the lawmakers to speedily pass the Electoral Offenders Bill under the current Assembly to empower the commission with the capacity and resources to effect arrests, thoroughly investigate electoral offences and mitigate electoral malfeasance.