In preparation for the 2024 Edo State governorship election, Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu will formally announce his intention to seek the Peoples Democratic Party nomination today.
The event is scheduled to take place in Benin City, the state capital, and will draw prominent PDP figures from across the state’s 18 local government areas and beyond.
According to Vanguard, Shaibu hinted at his gubernatorial aspirations during a recent conversation with journalists in Abuja, emphasizing that Edo residents desperately require practical governance and cannot afford to experiment with someone unfamiliar with the state’s politics and needs.
The deputy governor elaborated, “Governments should not prioritize projects that are not needed, as people are demanding this everywhere, even on the international stage. Therefore, we must conduct a needs assessment. You cannot know the needs of the people unless you live among them.”
“For me, competence and experience should be the watchwords,” Shaibu asserted. “Who is qualified, more experienced, and who will hit the ground running from day one if elected governor? Are we going to experiment with a new person again, leaving them to spend the first four years learning on the job and the next four years attempting to embezzle and establish businesses in the name of consolidating their first term?“
Vanguard reported that according to a close source, the grand ceremony serves as a clear indication of the deputy governor’s determination to compete in the primaries, scheduled for next February, and secure the party’s nomination.
The source explained that Shaibu has established structures throughout the state’s 192 wards and 18 LGAs, met with party leaders, and rented a campaign office in Benin City, setting the stage for his formal declaration.
The source also revealed that Shaibu has reconciled with Governor Godwin Obaseki, mending the rift that almost turned to enmity following Shaibu’s decision to run for governor.
“The deputy governor has dotted all his i’s and crossed all his t’s. He has held series of meetings with PDP political leaders across the three senatorial districts and met ordinary Edo people. On November 27, the deputy governor, will by the Grace of God, formally make his intentions to run for the governorship election known. He’ll address Edo people and tell them why he wants to run,” the source revealed.
The Obaseki administration welcomes Shaibu’s bid, acknowledging his right to aspire for the position.
However, the governor’s spokesman, Chris Nehikhare, clarified that he would not attend the declaration event if invited.
“He has not invited me but if he invites me, I will not attend,” he said
