Philip Shaibu Leaves PDP, Rejoins APC Amidst Political Tensions

By Osaiyekemwen Confidence

Reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has officially left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and returned to the All Progressive Congress (APC). Shaibu announced his defection during the APC Edo State inauguration of the National Working Committee of the Edo governorship election meeting held on Saturday, July 20. The 54-year-old was welcomed back into the party by the APC National Organising Secretary.

This move comes on the heels of Shaibu’s allegations against his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki, whom he accused of denying him entry into Edo State. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, July 19, Shaibu stated, “Yesterday, I got intel that the governor has told his men that they must not allow me into town. I am a free-born of Edo State, nobody can stop me from entering Edo State. The constitution does not allow anybody to bar me from entering Edo State, not even when I am a deputy governor. Even if I am an ordinary citizen, I should have a right. I should have freedom.”

These remarks came two days after the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered Shaibu’s reinstatement as deputy governor. Shaibu also claimed that Governor Obaseki threatened to destroy him after he declared his intention to run for the governorship ticket under the PDP in November 2023. Additionally, Shaibu accused the governor of orchestrating an attack on his convoy on Thursday, July 18, which resulted in the death of a police officer in Benin City. He alleged that the attack was a manifestation of Obaseki’s threat to destroy him.

The political tensions between Shaibu and Obaseki have intensified, with Shaibu’s return to the APC marking a significant shift in Edo State’s political landscape.