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The scuffle between the Edo State All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party has gained ground as the APC described the call for former deputy governor Philip Shaibu’s resignation from the PDP as baseless.
Recall that Shaibu, who was impeached on April 8 but still remains a member of the PDP, had on Sunday described the PDP candidate for the September 21 governorship election, Asue Ighodalo, as an outsider, who should be rejected by the electorate.
Shaibu had said that he would support the APC candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, whom he described as a homeboy, to govern Edo State.
Responding, the Deputy Director of the PDP Campaign Council in charge of Media, Rev. Olu Martin, called for the resignation of Shaibu from the party.
He said that the former deputy governor could not be in the party and be demarketing Ighodalo, faulting Shaibu’s claim that the PDP candidate is an outsider in the race.
But on Tuesday, the APC, in defence of Shaibu, who was a former member of the party, said the PDP should rather be concerned that Obaseki was leading the party to political oblivion and should be suspended.
The Publicity Director of the Edo State APC, Orobosa Omo-Ojo, in a statement on Tuesday in Benin, said, “The All Progressives Congress wishes to call on Nigerians and Edo people in particular, to ignore the irritating and baseless call on a former deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, to resign his membership of the drowning Peoples Democratic Party, because of his open declaration of support for Senator Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the APC.
“It is obvious that PDP is yet to understand the hurricane that has happened in the party. Virtually everyone with political relevance has left and those still in the party are only waiting as undertakers to bury the party.
“Rather than ask Shaibu to resign, the PDP should suspend their outgoing governor, Obaseki, for leading them to political obscurity in Edo State.
“Comrade Philip Shaibu is an Iroko, a true definition of homeboy and a political giant in the state, like the APC candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo.
“The APC wishes to give free advice to the PDP that it should concentrate its energy on how to tell Edo people what Asue Ighodalo and his running mate intend to bring on board after both have served the state for 28 years without any major development."
