From Moshood Karim
The Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu, has expressed displeasure about a recent meeting of PDP leaders in Edo North, which reportedly took place at the request of Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, a former deputy governor.
According to Shaibu, this meeting is an insult and disrespectful to his person and office as a sitting Deputy Governor of the State, and he considers it and the purported endorsement of a rival aspirant null and void. He made this clear while addressing a large crowd of supporters in his hometown of Jattu, Etsako West Local Government, following the Auchi Day Annual Celebration on Monday.
According to him, “Information reaching me says that Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, an elder of our party, called a meeting of PDP leaders in the six local governments of Edo North in his country-home, Fugar, Etsako Central local government and pressurized them to endorse one of the aspirants for the forthcoming governorship primary election in the state.”
“To me, that meeting was not held, because by virtue of my office as Deputy Governor, I remain the leader of the PDP in Edo North and Deputy Leader of the party in the state. Any meeting held in the Senatorial Zone without my knowledge is deemed null and void.”
“I respect Chief Mike Oghiadomhe as my elder and as my predecessor in office. Any meeting held in Edo North without my knowledge or input remains null and void.”
“Chief Oghiadomhe could not allow such a thing to happen when he was in office as Deputy Governor and as a leader of Edo North. PDP is a party of structure and of hierarchy well defined in its Constitution. I plead with all of you to remain calm and not be provoked by this action because after the primaries, we need to come together as members of the PDP, so, we will need everybody to win the main election in September.
“Chief Oghiadomhe is trying to provoke us but we will remain calm because this project is not about Philip Shaibu, it is God’s own project. You all saw what happened at the Otaru’s palace today. It was very clear that God has a hand in this project.”
At the said meeting, the PDP leaders comprising of political heavy weights in the Senatorial district agreed to adopt Asue Ighodalo while jettisoning the Deputy Governor who hails from Edo North.
