A few days after he was reinstated as Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu has defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC). He joined the ruling party with scores of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members.
Shaibu was reinstated as deputy governor by the Federal High Court, which quashed his impeachment by Edo State House of Assembly.
The deputy governor joined APC on Saturday during the inauguration meeting of the party’s National Working Committee for the governorship election, which had in attendance the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje and Governors Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Bassey Otu of Ondo and Cross Rivers states respectively. Others in attendance are Edo State APC state chairman, Jarett Tenebe; former governor of Edo State and serving senator, Adams Oshiomole, and party’s governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo.
What your party (allegedly) tried to do to you was planned to take your life.
APC state chairman, Tenebe, had last Thursday called on Shaibu to join the party after his convoy was attacked at Benin Airport.
Tenebe had said, during a solidarity visit to Shaibu, with other APC leaders: “As it stands today, you are the deputy governor of Edo State.
“I have brought a message of APC, and after now, our flag will be hanging in your office,” Tenebe said.
Shaibu commended the APC leaders for always identifying since his ordeal started in the PDP.
On his ordeal in PDP, he said: “The state chairman of the PDP never put a call to me or tried to resolve the party crisis, even when I have demonstrated that I am a core party man.
“By God’s grace, Sen. Monday Okpebholo and Dennis Idahosa of the APC will be the next governor and deputy in the state.”
Shaibu was a member of APC on whose ticket he and Gov Godwin Obaseki were elected as governor and deputy governor.
He and Obaseki defected to PDP when the former was denied governorship ticket for reelection. They clinched PDP ticket and won the governorship election.
