Shaibu and his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki would end their maximum two-term tenure of four years each on 12th November, next year. Both personalities recently had their relationship severely strained over the interest of the former to succeed his boss, who declined to endorse him.
Obaseki argued that since Shaibu’s Edo North senatorial district produced the last governor (Senator Adams Oshiomhole), it would not be politically right to have the No. 1 seat return to that zone so soon.
Although Shaibu has apologised to his boss and reiterated his loyalty, his declaration of ambition may retard the reconciliation.
There have been strong agitation from Edo Central senatorial district to produce Obaseki’s successor. Since its creation out of the then Bendel State on 27th August 1991, the only opportunity Edo Central had to produce a governor for Edo State was truncated when Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor’s assumption of office on 29th May 2007 was judicially voided on 11th November 2008.
While Edo Central’s reign under Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor was cut short after 18 months in office, Edo South with Mr. Lucky Igbinedion and Mr Godwin Obaseki will be completing 16 years in the governorship saddle by 11th November 2024. Edo North has also had two terms of eight years under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
While unfolding his ambition on Sunday to succeed Obaseki next year on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Shaibu said that “Edo needs a practical leader”.
Last week, the deputy governor’s ward endorsed him for the governorship.
Shaibu, who said that the outcome of his consultation on the matter would be made known soon.
He said what the state needed was practical and not experimental governance, a vague reference to alleged moves by the governor to anoint a technocrat as candidate.
Shaibu told reporters in Abuja that the state could not afford to experiment with someone who does not understand the needs of the people.
He said: “With the 2024 Edo governorship election fast approaching, the state can not afford to experiment again with someone who does not understand the politics of the state or the needs of the people.
“Edo people need practical governance and you cannot experiment again with somebody that do not understand the politics of a good state and the needs of the people”.
The deputy governor said that citizens were asking the government to stop pushing for projects that are not needed in any environment.
He said: “So, everything we have to do should be assessed. You cannot know the need of the people when you don’t live with them. So for me, competence and experience should be the watchwords as we go into the election in 2024.
“Who is competent? Who is more experienced? Who will hit the ground running from day one?
“Are we going to experiment with a new person again? And the person will spend the first four years learning on the job and he will spend another four years trying to embezzle, set up his businesses in the name of consolidating on the gains of the first term.
“Or do we need a governor that from day one will hit the ground running”?
Shaibu said that, for any government to succeed, there must be collaboration between the state and the Federal Government.
He said: “From my own experience, I have seen that for me to succeed as a governor, there must be collaboration.
“I understand the debt profile of the state and where I feel I can get funding to put up structure in the state. So, I won’t be coming to learn on the job, but to hit the ground running”.
Shaibu, who also spoke on zoning and rotation among the three zones in the state, said that, while the other zones have had more than a turn at producing a governor, Edo North has had one turn.
He added: “Whereas other senatorial districts have had more than one turn in the governorship position in the state, Edo North had only one turn.
“We have had four governors from South, two from Central and only one from North.
“Just like my ambition to be the deputy governor was not mine, but I made myself available; so also the ambition to be governor is still not mine. I’m only making myself available”.
