Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has revealed how he and his team monitored and outmaneuvered Governor Godwin Obaseki in the recently concluded gubernatorial election, which saw the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Monday Okpebholo, emerge as the winner.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo, the APC candidate, as the winner of the Edo State governorship election. Okpebholo won with 291,667 votes, defeating his closest challenger, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 247,244 votes.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Shaibu attributed the outcome to the governor’s alleged disregard for his political allies, which led to a mass defection of PDP stakeholders to the APC.
“We had 10 of us that contested for primaries in PDP, and 9 of us were told by him [Obaseki] to go to hell. The last time I counted, it was about 618 key leaders that left PDP for APC. The total number of people from my side who resigned to join APC is about 1,018. When you add these numbers together, it was clear that neither Obaseki nor Asue could win. This election wasn’t just about Asue but about the governor’s wickedness,” Shaibu stated.
He further accused Obaseki of being autocratic, citing the governor’s frequent disregard for court orders.
“The Obaseki I have worked with will never accept defeat and only wants to win, which is evident in his character. There are 92 court orders that Obaseki has refused to obey, except for the ones that favor him. In this election, it was no surprise that he wouldn’t accept the result because that’s who he is — both he and Asue. What I know is that I was at my polling unit from morning till night, I voted, and the vote was counted. The result INEC announced matched what everyone saw being counted at my unit,” Shaibu added.
He went on to allege that Obaseki had earmarked ₦73 million for vote-buying to secure victory in the election.
Describing Obaseki’s strategy, Shaibu said, “The game-changer was Obaseki refusing to share his program and thinking he could act like an autocrat and dictator. He now believes that having money — which he didn’t have in 2016 — would allow him to buy his way through. He thought he could bring ₦73 million to my ward and ensure a win. I saw the document outlining the amount earmarked for vote-buying, and I laughed. This only pushed more people to transfer their voting units to mine, which is why today I have the highest number of PVC voters in my unit.”
Shaibu also branded Obaseki as a sore loser who frequently ignores court orders that don’t work in his favour.
While refuting PDP’s claims that the results posted on INEC’s iREV platform differed from the official declaration, Shaibu praised the election process as one of the most transparent and peaceful in recent times.
“This election is one of the most peaceful and transparent elections we’ve had in recent times. There was only one polling unit with issues related to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), and it was quickly resolved. Throughout the election, the system worked perfectly. The Nigerian police also deserve kudos for their role,” Shaibu said.
He further remarked that if Asue Ighodalo, the PDP candidate, decided to challenge the results in court, it would be futile.
“Asue’s option now is to go to court. But as far as my unit, ward, and local government are concerned, any challenge would be an effort in futility. Like Mr. President said, if you believe there were irregularities, you can go to court, and we’ll meet there. From my experience, the process was free and fair,” Shaibu concluded.
Despite the evident breakdown in his relationship with Obaseki, Shaibu remains confident about his political future, stating that his battles with the governor are over.
“It is Ofonee [finished] for Obaseki, but not the end of the road for Shaibu,” he declared.
He shared that his political journey, initially intended to culminate in the Senate, took a different path when he was persuaded to join Obaseki’s ticket in 2016. Reflecting on the difficulties of the last 16 months, during which he claimed to have received no financial support from the government, Shaibu said he has entrusted his future political decisions to God.
“For the past 16 months, to show how wicked Obaseki is, I have not received one kobo from the government,” he stated.