Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has said that Governor Godwin Obaseki should have discussed his choice of a successor with him, accusing his principal of “intimidation” and “harassment”.
Shaibu said this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program on Tuesday.
The 53-year-old politician on Monday formally declared his intention to contest the September 21, 2024 state governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Shaibu insisted that despite his not-so-smooth association with his principal, it is his constitutional right to contest the number one office in the state.
The deputy governor said, “He (Obaseki) said I am the type of deputy governor any governor will wish to have. So, what has changed? What has changed simply is that I want to be the governor of Edo State.
“Possibly, maybe he (Obaseki) wants somebody else. In a situation like that, what you do is not intimidation, it is not harassment; you call a family together, you call all of us (aspirants) together and give us reasons why you feel certain things should be. Tell us what you want. You don’t intimidate, you don’t harass.
“If I am governor tomorrow and my deputy wants to contest, he has the right to contest. If I want to support somebody else, I also have the right to support somebody else, not intimidation.
“No conversation and then the next thing is intimidation and harassment, not to somebody that has sacrificed for the government.”