Oshiomhole and Shaibu End Feud, Reunite in APC: Reinstated Deputy Governor Expresses Gratitude

Follow

( 0 Followers )

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow

After over four years of bitter feud with his ‘father’, like the biblical prodigal son, embattled and recently reinstated deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, on Saturday returned home to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and penitently kowtowed to his estranged political godfather, and former governor of the state, Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole.

Shaibu had tagged along with Governor Godwin Obaseki to dump the APC for the People’s Democratic Party, PDP which had offered the then embattled governor a second term ticket which was denied him by the APC when he fell out with Oshiomhole, then National Chairman of the ruling party.

All had been well between the duo until sometime last year, when Shaibu’s governorship ambition put spanner in the works, and he got booted out of his exalted office on April 8, 2024, when he was impeached by the state House of Assembly, a process believed to have been oiled by the governor. He however got reinstated on the order of Justice James Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division last Thursday, following a suit filed before the court to challenge his impeachment.

It was therefore a happy reunion when Shaibu officially returned to the APC alongside prominent members of the Dan Osi Orbih-led faction of the PDP, known as the Legacy Group with which he had aligned after falling out with Obaseki, promising to add value to the party.

Arriving the venue of the inauguration of the National Campaign Council of the party for the September 21 governorship poll where the defectors were received, Shaibu headed straight to where Oshiomhole was seated and knelt before him, to the cheer of the teeming party faithful at the arena, as the former governor embraced him.

Recall that in the heat of his feud with Obaseki, there were speculations that Shaibu was making moves to jump the PDP ship and return to the APC, a move allegedly resisted by Oshiomhole.

When on August 10, last year, journalists sought his comment on the developments in the PDP after Shaibu approached the court with a prayer to restrain the governor and the House of Assembly from impeaching him, and his move to return to his former party when he paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Esongba of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri, Oshiomhole said dismissively that the APC is not a place where “distressed politicians” were rehabilitated, and advised Shibu to resolve his issues with his principal. He posited that the rate of defection in political parties shows that the only “constant factor is Nigeria”. The former governor wondered if the court could adjudicate on a purported impeachment.

According to him, “All I can say is that regardless of the party divides, it is my wish for Edo to be governed in peace and harmony because of the super party to which we all belong, the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

“The political parties, even the rates of decamping and ‘recamping’ shows that the only thing that is constant is Nigeria and not the political parties. To that extent, as someone who has had the rare privilege to be the chief steward at the Osadebey Avenue, it is my wish that this government and even future governments regardless of the political parties, govern in peace.

“But what I read, if that is what you are referring to about somebody going to court to complain about suspicion of being impeached. I don’t know how court adjudicates over suspicion; maybe I am a very poor legal student. I don’t know about that. But let me say this; to say that somebody wants to run to APC, APC is not a rehabilitation centre.

“I can tell you that for free. We, APC, are satisfied the way we are. We are happy in opposition, and we are not about to receive people who are coming because they have lost out. No IDP camp in APC.”

It was however a different story on Saturday as Shaibu was received with open arms by Oshiomhole and other APC bigwigs.

The National Secretary of the party, Tajudeen Ajibola Bashiru, who received them, said confidently that the calibre of the defectors guaranteed the victory of the APC in every ward in the state in the upcoming governorship poll.

On the Federal High Court judgement that reinstated Shaibu as deputy governor of the state, Bashiru asserted that “Anyone saying Shaibu is not the Deputy Governor of Edo State is acting in contempt of court judgement and in due course, will go to jail.”

Inaugurating the Campaign Council, an elated National Chairman of the party, and former governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, said the defection of Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor of Edo State, and others, had already given 50 percent of Edo people and government to the APC, and charged members of the Council to swing into action to ensure that all wards and units in Edo come out to campaign.

Disclosing that the party would soon hold a grand rally in Benin to be attended by President Bola Tinubu, Ganduje cheekily said in veiled reference to Governor Obaseki, that Okpebholo, the APC governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo and his running mate, “are not coming with MoUs, but concrete plans to develop Edo State and to connect the state to the centre. 

According to him, “Okpebholo is a developer who knows the meaning of development, while Idahosa is a projects man. I urge you to vote for them”, he appealed to Edo people, adding that they had already developed a blueprint for the development of the state.

The former governor thanked the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Ewuare II, for maintaining peace in his domain, assuring him that the incoming APC government would respect the traditional institution and work with him.

In his speech, Oshiomhole, the senator representing Edo North in the National Assembly, opined that the gathering represented the very essence of the broom, a reunion of the people who were deceived in their former party.

He noted that the party’s candidate, Monday Okpebholo, has a huge task ahead of him as governor of Edo State. He tasked Edo people to compare the APC years in government to the PDP administration of almost eight years and see the difference.

According to him, “Edo people have the chance to sit back and ask themselves the differences in the years the APC ruled the state, and the years the PDP ruled. Governance is about having human empathy. Those who do not know your house cannot fix the leakages; only those who know the leakages can help fix them. If they can cheat themselves and go to court, we will not allow them to cheat (at the polls). It will be one-man-one-vote”.

He regretted the lack of sustenance by Obaseki, of the development legacy of his administration in all sectors, adding that the difference between his government and that of Obaseki was clear. 

Comparing the APC candidate with that of the PDP, Oshiomhole said governance is about empathy which is one of the strengths of Okpebholo which he said Ighodalo lacks. Buttressing his position with the problem of insecurity in Edo Central senatorial district where Ighodalo hails from, that necessitated fund-raising by the people to tackle the menace, Oshiomhole noted that Ighodalo contributed paltry N100, 000, whereas Okpebholo contributed millions of Naira.

Reacting to the killing of Police Inspector Akoh Onuh, one of the security details of Senator Okpebholo, Oshiomhole vowed to ensure that the National Assembly investigated the death, promising that the investigation would not be messed up the same way investigation into the killing of his former principal private Secretary, (Olaitan Oyerinde) in similar manner was messed-up. “This killing must not be messed-up”, he declared.

While calling on the IGP to disband the ESSN, Oshiomhole gave a similar charge to Okpebholo to dissolve the outfit if he became governor of the state.

Urging the state Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye, “to defend the integrity of his uniform”, Oshiomhole insisted that “The days of oppression are over. They shall know no peace because they have murdered sleep”.

Addressing the gathering, Okpebholo said Edo State had never been divided like it had now become. Upbraiding Governor Obaseki for allegedly raising the state’s debt from about ₦43 billion at the inception of his administration to over ₦500 billion presently, he said “We are here to change it; we are coming to restore infrastructure, to restore education, and to restore security to the state. We are bringing practical governance into the state”.

The State chairman of APC, Emperor Jarret Tenebe, while speaking, urged the national chairman of the party to join them to rescue the state from the grip of the PDP.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the National Campaign Council and Governor of Cross Rivers, Bassey Otu, promised to deliver the state for the APC, come September 21.

Speaking on behalf of scores of defectors, prominent among whom were the former speaker of the House of Assembly, Frank Okiye; Nosa Adams, a lawyer, who served at various times in the PDP as chairman, Egor local government council, and publicity secretary;  Martin Osakue, an educationist, and proprietor, Paragon Group of Schools; Prince Austin Eweka, and Felix Okhabue, a former chairman of Esan West local government council, and a governorship aspirant,  who served as commissioner for business, wealth creation and cooperatives under Obaseki, Shaibu said, “On behalf of the Legacy Group, I announce our movement to the APC. We have come to add value to the party. It is time to take back our state. We will not talk too much because action will speak for us. We are not afraid; we are ready to move forward. We, the homebody is ready to take our state back through the APC governorship candidate, Monday Okpebholo and his running mate, Dennis Idahosa. We are not troublemakers, but if it comes, we will use it to rub our body and we move on”. 

Shaibu, who dumped the APC for the PDP with Obaseki June 16, 2020, said “It is a triumphant homecoming for me, as I officially return to the All-Progressives Congress, (APC) the party where I am accepted, valued, and welcomed with open arms. The party holds a special place in my heart, and where I have shared countless memories. I am grateful to be back among the people and community that have always supported me, and to reunite with my political family”.