Comrade Robinson Akhenoba I Monday, Feb. 19, 2024
BENIN CITY – Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu must be the most feared popular deputy governor in Nigeria at the moment.
Some people say Shaibu has no “capacity.” They would also have us believe he has no street credibility. If so, ‘no wahala’ but how come Governor Obaseki and his anointed candidate are so frightened and terrified? Edo people are not disposed to anticipated political weakling. Consequently, it is telling that Shaibu must be the most feared and popular deputy governor in Nigeria.
Shaibu rose to the limelight of Nigeria politics by divine fate. He has evoked and elicited the forthright and outspoken Deputy Governor and Governorship aspirant ever.
Every stratagem in the book has been thrown at him to stop him from becoming the Governor of Edo State and from continuing to be Deputy Governor. Repeatedly, this has been unsuccessful.
It has become evidence that Governor Obaseki is convinced that Shaibu is unstoppable for the Edo 2024 Governorship poll. Consequently, the emphasis has been directed more at preventing him from running for Edo 2024 Governorship.
Recalled that Shaibu joined Governor Obaseki to fight the 2020 Governorship election with a mystic that completely overwhelmed the opposition. Despite all odds against them, they did not only defeated the opposition, they practically eviscerated them. This became the political wisdom of his oppressors. This has manifested in a number of shenanigans in the past few days. However, this outcome will only strengthen Shaibu’s position as he proceeds to go to the electorate again in September to seek their support for Governorship election.
It is on record that those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable. Of course, the only change that Edo people wish to see is the one whereby Shaibu is either supported by Obaseki for Edo 2024 or the Governor and his anointed candidate are defeated at the polls by the opposition.
Having realised that by some political sorceries, Philip Shaibu is impregnable and waiting to be delivered at the polls, the strategy of the governor has been insisting that he cannot seek Governorship, instead of making concrete plans about how to defeat the opposition with Philip Shaibu on the ballot.
It is worth noting that the opposition may have decided to employ machineries to defeat Obaseki’s anointed governorship candidate if Shaibu is not fielded on PDP ticket. There objective remained the same. They knew they can’t defeat Philip Shaibu at the polls; therefore their primary assignment is to prevent him from running the race.
Obaseki may return to the drawing-board after PDP primaries on Thursday since he now knows that Shaibu cannot be stopped from the race with mere threat, and his anointed candidate anticipated defeat unavoidable.
How long will this fear of Shaibu continue?
What is the fate of Obaseki and his anointed?
Has the opposition won the election even before it started? These are questions begin for answers as we await the aftermath of Edo PDP Governorship primaries in February 22, 2024.
*Comrade Robinson Akhenoba is the writer and publisher of The Political Evangelist*
