Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, has alleged that his Deputy, Philip Shaibu, is plotting to oust him from office.
Addressing stakeholders on Friday, Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said Shaibu has become so desperate to succeed him, ahead of the Edo governorship election in 2024.
“He (Shaibu) went to Abuja and was boasting that he has connections in Abuja, that he has people in the national assembly, that they are all with the president now, that they will take care of him.
“That if he cannot get the ticket in PDP, he knows what to do.
“I kept quiet and said I thought we were together. But what struck me, and I have never said this to anybody, is that after I proclaimed the house of assembly, we were now going to elect officers.
“He was in Abuja, he came back that day. I am the chief security officer of this state. I get any information I need. But I have that responsibility to keep quiet and use the information properly.
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“My deputy called the leader in All Progressives Congress (APC), telling that leader that during the elections on the next day, particularly speaker of the house of assembly, that he has five members who are loyal to him and that he would like the seven members of APC to work with his five members of PDP to produce the next speaker.
“As far as I am concerned, that was not working in our common interest.
“Why would the deputy governor seek to have another speakership candidate outside of what the governor wants? Are we working together?
“That was when I knew we had a problem. That the deputy governor has become so desperate to take over that he would do anything, including carrying out a coup, against his governor.
“How can you say you are loyal and you will do such a thing?” Obaseki queried.
According to Obaseki, he has told Shaibu to keep his governorship ambition in check because there is still a lot of work to be done before next year’s transition.
