The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu has denied reports that he was planning to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
A report that went viral on Thursday afternoon that Shaibu had finalised plans to join the APC.
The report claimed that a high-ranking member of the party said Shaibu would be accepted into the party early next week by the APC National Working Committee.
Shaibu and his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki were elected on the APC platform on 28th September 2016. In the buildup to his re-election bid four years later, Obaseki was disqualified by the APC leadership and he – together with his deputy, Shaibu – left for the PDP to contest and win the 2020 governorship election.
In a statement on Thursday, the Deputy Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Musa Ebomhiana said the architects of the story were hack writers and mischief-makers who were bent on destabilising the state.
He said: “They will stop at nothing to widen the gulf between Mr. Governor, His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki and his Deputy, Comrade Philip Shaibu.
“They have generated more lies from the pit of hell, saying that Comrade Philip Shaibu has perfected plans to rejoin the All Progressives Congress, APC, next week. There is no iota of truth in this.
“To further put a lie to this, the spin doctors claimed that the APC National Working Committee, NWC is set to receive him in Abuja. The question here for the discerning minds is that, is it the NWC of a party that receives a decampee into the party?
“Shaibu has never minced words, vowing to sink and swim with his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki.
“This, he has said severally at public fora. In view of this, I plead with these characters bent on driving a wedge between Comrade Philip Shaibu and his boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki to put the Edo project and the people far above their own selfish interest”.
Musa had earlier disowned comments credited to Shaibu where he was said to have given reasons why he had not discussed the rift between him and his boss with anyone.
Musa said the story “is nothing but the imagination of the supposed hack writers and mischief-makers.
“I wish to place on record that the Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has been on annual vacation. He has not granted any interview and he has not authorised anybody to speak for him to either online or any traditional news medium”.
He quoted Shaibu as saying: “I’m able to speak for myself, I have not authorised anybody to speak for me and I have not granted any press interviews. The statement credited to me is fake”.
