Traditional rulers from Edo North Senatorial District on Saturday declared that they would be supporting the current deputy governor of the state, Comrade Phillip Shaibu, for the 2024 governorship race in the state.
The traditional rulers hinged their decision on the claim that Shaibu, who hails from the district, had already informed them that he would be running to occupy Dennis Ossadebey Avenue as the race for the governorship seat heats up.
The Edo North traditional rulers disclosed this in response to their counterparts from Edo Central Senatorial District, who came calling to solicit the support of the Edo North royal fathers to support an Edo Central candidate come 2024.
Traditional rulers from Edo Central have been in the vanguard for a governor from the district since both Edo North and Edo South Senatorial Districts have governed the state for two terms each since the beginning of the current democratic dispensation in 1999.
While Edo South has ruled the state for four terms with Governor Lucky Igbinedion governing the state from 1999 to 2007, and the incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki, who will be completing his second term in November 2024, the Edo North had had a two-term shot at the governorship under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
While Governor Igbinedion was in the saddle, he picked his deputy, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, from Edo North, just as Comrade Oshiomhole from Edo North had Dr Pius Odubu from Edo South as his deputy for the two terms he was in the office as the governor of the state.
In the quest of the Edo central senatorial district to produce the next governor of the state, consultations have been embarked on by well-meaning personalities, including traditional rulers from the district, who argued that it would be proper, just and equitable, for the next governor of the state to emerge from the district.
This strategic planning and mobilization, with the hope of building alliances and gaining support for their cause, recently, led to visits by the traditional rulers from the Edo Central to the Edo South Senatorial District, with a call at the palace of the revered Oba of Benin Kingdom to support them.
On Saturday, the Edo Central team led by the Onogie of Uromi, HRH Anslem Aidonojie, and other delegations of traditional rulers, met with the traditional rulers from Edo North to discuss the upcoming governorship election and the candidates vying for the governorship position and solicit their support for a governor of Esan (Edo Central) extraction.
Responding, however, to the request by the Edo Central traditional rulers, the Olokpe of Okpe, HRH Oba Idogu III, and HRH Alh. D.Y.E Kanoba, the Egiegbai of Ekperi, on behalf of the traditional rulers from Edo North, thanked their counterparts from Edo Central but informed them that their son, Philip Shaibu, who is currently the deputy governor had already informed them that he was interested in joining the governorship race slated for next year, adding that their support would be for their son who is also in the race to become governor of Edo State.
The Edo North traditional rulers said they believed Shaibu was the best candidate for the job, citing his track records of service and commitment to the development of Edo State.
According to them, “Having singlehandedly built the Palace of the Ogieneni of Uzairue Kingdom, they have faith in his continued support for the traditional institution,” noting that his candidacy would help to bridge the gap between the two regions and unite the state towards a common goal.
To underscore the seriousness and commitment of the Edo Central what is known in the Edo political parlance as the Esan Agenda, the district yielded the speakership of the current Edo State House of Assembly to Edo North when the Assembly was inaugurated penultimate week.
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