Shaibu: Edo cannot return to Egypt, I won’t be intimidated out of guber race

The deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, says he won’t be intimidated out of the September 21 governorship election in the state, stressing that he has all it takes to win the poll.

Shaibu said this when he returned his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nomination form for the governorship election at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, January 25, 2024.

The deputy governor, who alleged that some elders of the party had been bought over, however, expressed delight that youths and some elders were strongly behind him.

He said: “By the grace of God, our support is organic, it is not procured. I am not an aspirant that is being pushed; I am not an aspirant that is cut off from the people.

“Edo people, the voters know me, they touch me, they feel me. We have already dealt with the issue of godfatherism but it is rearing its ugly head again.

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“I am happy that the governor had told us that even if he tries to impose somebody on us as the new godfather we should deal with him.

“We are standing on the mandate of the people. My support is organic and with Shaibu, PDP will retain its seat in Edo State.”

Shaibu added: “We started the journey of rescuing Edo State in 2006 and we were conscious of what we wanted to achieve.

“We said that we needed to take our state back and return it to the people and we did take the state back and returned it to the people.

“Along the line, something happened and the state is about to be hijacked again and we said no.

“This election is another challenge; they want to take the state from Edo people and return it to businessmen and we are saying no because Edo State cannot return to Egypt.”

“Edo State will continually move forward and the only way it can move forward is if power resides with the people.

“PDP says Power to the People and not power to business friends or business colleagues.”

The deputy governor said he is in the race not because or any inordinate ambition, but for his desire to save Edo State from businessmen who wanted to take over the state.

Shaibu added that he had already developed a blueprint of what he wanted to do when elected as the state governor.

The Star