THE reinstated deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has pointed fingers at Governor Godwin Obaseki for being the brain behind Thursday’s attack on him and Monday Okpebholo, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC),.
Shaibu claims that Governor Obaseki had previously threatened to “destroy” him.
Shaibu reported receiving intelligence that Governor Obaseki instructed his men to prevent him from entering the state. This alleged directive resulted in a shootout in Benin City when Shaibu returned after a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja reinstated him as deputy governor. The clash led to the death of Okpebholo’s police aide.
In an interview on Channels Television, Shaibu said, “I got intel that the governor told his men not to allow me into town. I’m a free-born citizen of Edo State; nobody can prevent me from entering the state. The Constitution does not permit anyone to bar me from the state, whether I am a deputy governor or an ordinary citizen.”
Shaibu also recalled Governor Obaseki’s threat to destroy him, adding, “I didn’t know he would arm them that much. Reviewing it further, I remembered the governor saying, ‘I will destroy you.’ It was an attempt to actualize that threat. However, I believe only God can destroy a man. That’s why I decided to fight for the sanity and sanctity of the deputy governor’s office, even after my impeachment.”
Eighteen-Eleven Media