In a recent interview with Arise TV, Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu publicly mocked Governor Godwin Obaseki following the results of the 2024 governorship election, which saw the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, emerge victorious.
Shaibu expressed a sense of vindication after Obaseki lost his own local government area, Oredo, to the APC, asserting that he has consistently supported Obaseki's electoral victories. "I feel vindicated; even the governor couldn’t win his local government. I won my unit, ward, and local government. Where are the governor’s results? He has never won; we always assisted him," Shaibu remarked.
The Deputy Governor called for Obaseki to apologize to the people of Edo State, suggesting that the governor has a lot to atone for after his party's defeat. "What is left now is for him to go back and start begging and apologizing to the people of Edo State," Shaibu said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Okpebholo the new governor, who secured 291,667 votes against Obaseki's rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 247,274 votes, while Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party finished with 22,763 votes.
Shaibu's comments highlight the tensions within Edo's political landscape as the new administration prepares to take office.
