In a recent development from Edo State, Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu has claimed that there is a plot to impeach him due to his aspirations to contest in the upcoming gubernatorial election. This revelation came after Shaibu was declared the winner of a factional governorship primary election purportedly held at his residence in Benin City, the state capital.
Simultaneously, another faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) announced Asue Ighodalo as the winner of a separate primary exercise conducted at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin. This split within the party has intensified the political atmosphere in the state, with Shaibu’s candidacy becoming a focal point of contention.
During a statement made in Abuja on Saturday, Shaibu disclosed that his team had uncovered plans to remove him from office over his gubernatorial ambition. He emphasized that the alleged impeachment plot would not deter him, asserting that contesting in the Edo governorship election is his constitutional right.
This unfolding situation in Edo State underscores the deep political divisions and the lengths to which factions within the same party will go to secure their preferred candidates for the governorship position. As the political drama continues to unfold, observers are keenly watching to see how these tensions will impact the political landscape in Edo State ahead of the gubernatorial election.
He said;
“Even as we speak, my team has been calling me that, ‘Look at what these people are doing. They are saying they are going to impeach you, that you have gotten too far.’ They are threatening to impeach me,” he said.
“And I said, well, if fighting for my rights and all of us collectively fighting for our rights, which is in the constitution, can trigger impeachment, so be it because fighting for my rights and saying I must contest the election is my constitutional rights and cannot be taken by anybody.
“So, if constitutional right is why they will now trigger impeachment, the courts are there, they will interpret it.”
Mr. Shaibu added that Ighodalo does not have what it takes to win the September 21 governorship election in the state.“If the party wants to win the election, they will not go for Ighodalo. If the party wants to win the election, the people have spoken, and they have spoken very loud and clearly,” he said.
“If people can stand bullets to say this is who we want, then the party should follow that direction.”
Mr. Shaibu added that a coalition called legacy coalition has been formed to encourage collaboration and support among members of the PDP.
He also said he has appointed Kenneth Asekomhe, a former Edo APC deputy chairman, to chair a committee to reach out to Ighodalo’s camp to forge a united front for the PDP in the election.
“He is the chairman of the committee that I have set up to reach out to the Ighodalo group for us to have a discussion to see how we will go because it is only him that is not on board,” Shaibu said.
“The leader of the legacy coalition is Dan Orbih. We are working together and that is why it is important that Ighodalo join the legacy coalition because the coalition is those that were in APC that moved to PDP to meet those that were already in PDP.
“Those that were in PDP that we met are the legacy. The coalition now is that we joined the old PDP moving together because we don’t want to hear new and old PDP and that is why we call it a legacy coalition.”