Reinstated Edo State Deputy Governor, Phillip Shaibu, who was elected under the umbrella of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said that he is an unofficial member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as his spirit left the PDP a long time ago.
The newly reinstated deputy governor said this in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday where he also accused the Edo State Government of orchestrating an attack against him and the APC candidate for the Edo State guber election, Monday Okpebholo, on Thursday, also claiming that the state’s PDP-led government was going against the judgement reinstating him by attempting to keep him away from Edo State without a Stay of Execution order.
Speaking on his current political allegiance, Shaibu said, “I am actually a member of APC, but unofficial. My spirit has left PDP for a long time, it’s only my leg and my body that is still there. Because if you check all the court declarations, you will discover that in Rivers, I am told that those people did not resign and they have not gone, so their party card is still with them. My party card in PDP is still with me, I have not picked party card of APC, so that is why I am saying that. But in terms of my spirit, my spirit has left PDP, it’s now in APC.”
Shaibu, speaking on the attack that was carried out by vigilantes who shot at his convoy, alleged that it was a plan of the government, as he relayed, “In terms of violence, they planned it. I told you Mutari is their- the Chief of Staff of Edo State, the meetings took place in his office, another meeting took place in the office of the speaker, another meeting took place in Osarodion Ogie’s house, I was told that they were to protect government House and the other office. Then later in the morning, around 9 o’ clock, I got a call that they’ve also asked them to go and stay by Faith Mediplex and front of the gate. Later on, they changed their plans that they should go and stay in one building next to press hotel. So, I was monitoring what they were doing, and in all this, I told the Commissioner of Police.”
Shaibu said that despite all this intelligence in his employ, he still decided to go because he is “fearless, and I am somebody that when I want to do something, I check the rules of engagement and I check whether it’s legal. And when it is legal, I am ready to go for it. Even if you have to kill me, you have to kill me not to achieve it. But I will not go out of the norms, I will not go out of the law, I will do what is right. I was armed with documents, and in a civilised society, that is how it is run.”
Explaining the events of Thursday, Shaibu said, “Going back to yesterday, the CPO was aware I was coming because I called him. He called me first congratulating me and that they are expecting me, and I said no, that I will be coming yesterday- that was the day before yesterday, and I said I will be coming tomorrow which was yesterday. We met at the airport and I told him it’s his lot to enforce the judgement.”
He said that the CPO told him that the tone of the town was calm and they were good to go.
Shaibu added, “As we were about to go out, at the gate there was serious hold up, only to be told that people were outside- Edo vigilante were outside blocking the gate. Not up to 30 minutes that they did that, the soldiers in the airport went to clear the gate, and we came out. As we just drove into airport road, the next thing was shooting- sporadic shooting by the men of the vigilante and po-of.”
Speaking of the Stay of Execution Order that the government claim they have against him, Shaibu said that what they have is a notice that was filed, and until he sees a judgement that says he should stay away, he does not believe that he can be stopped from returning to office as the court ordered.
He said, “The Commissioner of Police met me, and I showed him the judgement, and he told me that they told him, according to him, they told him that they have gotten stay and they have appealed. As at that time, I told him that as at the time they were telling you they filed, if you check, immediately I got that judgement, 10 minutes after that judgement, it was on the air that they have gotten stay and they have appealed. And the order for this judgement came in yesterday, not day before yesterday. We didn’t get this judgement until yesterday. But they started telling the whole world that they have gotten stay on the day of judgement. That should tell you the level of deceit that they carried out. They don’t have a stay. If they have a stay, let them show it. This judgement came out yesterday, and this judgement is declaratory, it’s a declaratory judgement. This is what they do.”
“If you bring a stay, I will obey. I’m not a lawless person like them,” he added.
Shaibu then replied to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Crusoe Osagie, who accused him of organising the thugs who shot at his convoy as he said, “What Crusoe is doing, I’ve already asked my lawyers to file contempt and to also file defamation of character, and I’m sure they’ll be going to court today to file that because what he has just done is contemptuous, because the judgement that we have has barred even the governor from interfering with my duties as deputy governor. He and his executive or whoever close to the governor, the declarative judgement barred them from interrupting my movement.”
“Crusoe is making statements that Obaseki will not help him by the time we are in court, and he should stop. He cannot be alleging what he didn’t know. I did not mobilise anybody to come and shoot. The Edo vigilante and po-of did what they did. How can I be shooting myself? Why will I organise who to shoot me?” he questioned.
Shaibu then said, “When it comes to violence, I know those that are highly violent, they are violence personified. I know them. And they’re in that system.”
“I don’t want to go into gutter like they do. If I go into gutter that they do, you will not buy the governor for N1, neither buy any of them for N2. So, I don’t want to go into gutter with them, because the truth is that we need to respect the office of the governor. Maybe when the governor is no longer the governor of Edo State, I can say a lot of things. But for now, I want to respect the office of the governor.”
Shaibu was then asked why he was being dogged in his fight to return to his government role even though those that he is to work with seem to be against him, to which he replied, “I am the deputy governor of Edo state, not the deputy governor of Obaseki or any of them. I’m an elected deputy governor of Edo State. As at the time we were nominated as governor and deputy, I was the running mate to Obaseki. Immediately I was voted into office, I became the deputy governor of Edo State.
“I think why I am fighting this fight is to prove a point- proving a point and to help others that will fall into things like this. The institutions must be strengthened, and that is my own quest for going into politics, we must fight to make sure institutions work. And one of the reasons why I supported the governor was that we are bringing a fresher into the system that will help to strengthen institutions, but unfortunately, it didn’t work. He has shown now that it is the character of the person that actually matters, not where he’s coming from. So, for me, I am proving a point. I am the deputy governor, the elected deputy governor, and the court has reaffirmed it, and I will be deputy governor till November 11 when we will hand over.”
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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