Following his differences with Governor Godwin Obaseki, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu, is set to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the coming week barring unforeseen circumstances.
The ruling party’s National Working Committee, NWC, will receive the Edo deputy governor early next week, a high-ranking member of the party at the centre disclosed on condition of anonymity. Vanguard reports.
However, Shaibu’s defection to the APC appears to be having glitches on account of the stance of Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who declared that the party is not a rehabilitation centre for distressed and disgruntled politicians.
Oshiomhole, who is a former national chairman of the APC and a two-term governor of Edo State, handed over to Governor Obaseki. As APC chairman then denied Obaseki and Shaibu the party’s re-election ticket, which forced the duo to join the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which gave them tickets, and they won re-election in 2018.
Meanwhile, the Edo Deputy Governor has distanced himself from the move to the APC, which he described as another lie from the pit of hell, insisting that he would sink and swim with Governor Obaseki.
Shaibu’s decision to return to the APC, which was predicted by political analysts, followed his move to the Federal High Court to seek an injunction against an alleged impeachment plot against him.
Governor Obaseki had, however, said the move by Shaibu to seek a court order to stop his purported impeachment was preemptive, ahead of his defection to the APC.
Politics Nigeria recalls that Obaseki had while addressing leaders from Edo North senatorial district, where Shaibu hails from, said he was “not aware of any plot or scheme to impeach Shaibu. I have also checked, and there was no such plan.”
