Shaibu’s governorship ambition has pitted him against his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki, who is believed to be working to pick someone else to succeed him.
The Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has formally declared to run for the office of the state governor in the 2024 governorship election.
In a televised announcement on Monday morning, Shaibu said he will contest the ticket of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party in the upcoming party primaries.
It had been earlier reported that the Eterno Hotels in Benin City allegedly cancelled Shaibu’s booking to use the hotel for his formal declaration to run for the office of the governor today.
The hotel, owned by a prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, is located in the Government Reserved Area.
The management of the hotel was said to have contacted the deputy governor and told him that the space was no longer available for his use while his money was refunded.
The hotel management was said to have told the Shaibu group that another group, ‘Obaseki finishing well group,’ had paid for the same venue.
One of Shaibu’s loyalists, who asked not to be named, was quoted to have said, “We found this very preposterous that we were contacted by the hotel management that a group had paid for the same venue for a programme slated for 7 a.m. same date.
“We know where this is coming from. Whatever their plans to frustrate our declaration will definitely fail. They are jittery over Shaibu’s declaration and popularity.”
Shaibu’s governorship ambition has pitted him against his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki, who is believed to be working to pick someone else to succeed him.
At the height of the crisis, Shaibu dragged Obaseki and the state House of Assembly to court, seeking an order to stop them from impeaching him.
Obaseki, on his part, had openly accused Shaibu of being overambitious.
Though Shaibu later apologised to Obaseki and the latter said he had forgiven him, the Edo State Government relocated Shaibu’s office out of the government house.