Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has revealed why he refused to support his former Deputy, Philip Shaibu, to succeed him, stating that the political permutations in the state did not favour Shaibu’s bid to become the state’s leader.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Governor Obaseki emphasized that he couldn’t risk backing Shaibu’s ambition to succeed him as he needed to protect the interests of the Edo people.
“For me, I did not understand where the ambition was coming from because it was clear that the odds were not in his favour in terms of succeeding me and I made it very clear,” Obaseki stated.
He further explained, “So, I could not take any risk on his ambition because I have to protect the Edo people. So, I could not take that risk on Edo people.”
Recalls that Shaibu and Obaseki were former allies, but their relationship soured after Shaibu declared his intention to become the governor of the state.
The former deputy governor was later impeached by the Edo State House of Assembly for allegedly leaking government information.