How I suffered under Gov. Obaseki – Philip Shaibu

By Jude Opara, Abuja

A former Deputy Governor of Edo state, Comrade Philip Shaibu has revealed how his estranged boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki literarily maltreated him when he served as the deputy governor of the state under him.

Shaibu who was recently reinstated as the deputy governor of Edo state by an Abuja High Court told newsmen in Abuja after a courtesy call on the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje on Wednesday that contrary to what people thought, he was serially marginalized by Governor Obaseki despite all his efforts to be fully loyal to him.

“I gave my all to have him succeed because for me, it is about the state and the state is everything. So, I gave all up to my earnings. Even to my official earnings. I forfeited lots of my official entitlements. Why because I didn’t want any trouble or disagreement. And the easiest way you can have disagreement could be money. Even my official entitlement most of them I didn’t even apply for them.

“As small as 28 days, that is the first earning that you earn whether as civil servant or in government, both first and second terms, I didn’t have it. That is anything that has to do with going to meet the governor, to apply for anything even personal entitlements or official entitlements, I don’t. I confined myself within the official and salary that comes to me.

“Recently, I saw an advert that I should return 22 vehicles. It was only one vehicle in the seven and half years that the governor bought for my convoy. Only one! Every vehicle you see in my convoy some of them especially the Landcruiser I used for three years with coat of arms and with flag as staff car. The Prado that I used as back up for three years was the Prado that I used as majority leader of Edo state House of Assembly. The Hilux that I was using in the State Assembly and the one I bought when I came to the House of Representatives. It was the third year of his first term that the governor eventually bought a Landcruiser jeep for me.”

Shaibu further revealed that what actually made Obaseki to move against him was his ambition to contest for the governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a decision that never went down with the governor.

“I have not done anything wrong to warrant impeachment. But the truth is that the issues were all political. I declared to contest for the governor of Edo state that is where the fight started. And he said ‘you cannot contest because I have my plans’.

The next thing was that, he said he will destroy me if I continue. And for me, that was an affront. And as an activist, that day I made up my mind I was going to contest for the governor of Edo state”.

On the forthcoming September 21 governorship election in the state, Shaibu who recently defected to the APC said his new party has all it takes to win the election because many of the stakeholders and even ordinary people of the state are disenchanted with the leadership style of Governor Obaseki.