Notes for File
There were strong speculations last week that the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Mr. Philip Shaibu was set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to an undisclosed political party.
Sources who claimed to be knowledgeable reportedly claimed that there were recent marathon meetings that took place outside the country between the Edo Deputy Governor and some party bigwigs in the country.
According to the sources, series of meetings took place outside the country, during the deputy governor’s vacation.
Shaibu has however distanced himself from the alleged defection plan, insisting that there is no rift between him and Governor Godwin Obaseki.
In a statement issued in Benin City, yesterday, by Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the deputy governor, Ebomhiana Musa, the deputy governor denied the claims.
Musa described the reports of his principal’s alleged defection as false and a figment of the authors’ imagination insisting that Shaibu travelled abroad on vacation to spend some time with his family.
Though the deputy governor has denied the allegations, his denial appears insufficient to erase the doubts in view of the similar denials by Governors Ben Ayade, Bello Matawalle and Dave Umahi of Cross River, Zamfara and Ebonyi states, respectively.
Before they eventually defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the two governors, who were elected on the platform of the PDP, had repeatedly denied any plan to leave the main opposition party.
A former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode had also vowed that he would rather die than defect from the PDP to the APC.
Today, the four political leaders have joined the APC without offering any apology for their previous denials.
Since there is no smoke without fire, will Shaibu also defect from the PDP? The events of the next few months will reveal his next move.
