Edo State deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, in this interview with select journalists in Abuja, speaks on why he is contesting the governorship seat and what he is bringing on board. He described himself as a home boy, the best for the job who understands what Edo people need in 2024. TAOFEEK LAWAL was there. He brings excerpts.
Some are arguing that Edo Central has become onlookers as far as zoning is concerned in Edo State politics. Edo South with former Governor Lucky Igbinedion was in office for eight years and then came Oserheimen Osunbor from Edo Central who was swept away by the Court for Adams Osiomhole (Edo North). He (Osiomhole) was in office for eight years. Also, Governor Godwin Obaseki from Edo South is rounding off his eight years in power. Why not give Edo Central the chance to come on board?
Edo Central are not onlookers rather it is Edo North that are becoming onlookers as far as the governorship seat in Edo is concerned. Adams Osiomhole is the first that would become governor from Edo North and we had to struggle to get him to be governor through the court. That is how he became the governor. I think we have a tradition in Edo State of not rotating the governorship. There is no where we had actually sat as a people, whether as a political party, or as a traditional institution, or pressure group, or any group at all, where we say we want to rotate the governorship. But if you ask me, do I want us to rotate, am I an apostle of rotation? I will say yes. Because in areas where population wise and other things, they cannot get certain things, through rotation they can get. So I believe in it. But I also believe in equity and justice and fairness. Because in rotation, there must be equity, justice and fairness. So, all I am saying is, let us have equity, justice and fairness and nothing more. Also, we should not mortgage competence on the altar of rotation. Competence is also key and critical especially in this time where we are all struggling to survive in the country.
Government should be more responsible and people with capacity that understand the yearnings and aspirations of the people, those that live with the people, that feel what the people feel and have capacity to deliver should be played up more than the issue of rotation. If we must go to the issue of rotation and whose turn it is, that is, if we must use the word turn, it is the turn of Edo North to produce the governor of Edo State.
Why? PDP has never given ticket to anyone from Edo North since the inception of the party. So, if we decided to go by that for equity, justice and fairness by the PDP, it is the turn of Edo North. Because PDP has given ticket to Edo South two times, Lucky Igbinedion and the present governor. PDP has also given ticket to Edo Central once, Professor Osunbor, who was a former governor of Edo State who earns pension as a former governor and that was gazetted. And for you to have been governor of Edo State means that you earn all paraphernalia of office like pension and others that you are entitled to. If you check the array of former governors of Edo State, Professor Osunbor was a former governor.
If you want to check those who have been governor, Edo Central has been governor twice, Edo North once, Edo South four times. In terms of population, Edo South that has been governor four times has the largest population, followed by Edo North. If it is by population, Edo South has taken four times, Edo North is supposed to have taken at least two or three times before you now come to two or one for Central. So if you are to go by sharing, it has to be senior-junior first. Edo South has the largest population, second is Edo North and the last born is Edo Central. If Edo South has taken three times and if we have to use the word rotation, it means that Edo North should have been three and Central would have been two. But instead, Edo South has been governor four times, Edo Central that is the last born has been governor twice and Edo North that is supposed to be the next has been governor only once through the court.
For me, equity, justice, fairness and rotation favours Edo North. Also, in terms of capacity, I have the capacity, I have the experience. I am the closest to the people among those that are contesting now and if you want to ask who is a home boy, they will tell you Shaibu is a home boy. I am not just an home boy in terms of politics but home boy in all ramifications. Someone told me that the Governor asked the Oredo Chairman to remove my billboard and I said it is not possible. I confronted the Oredo Chairman and he said yes, they removed it in the name of one tax or the other and I said okay let me even stroll to the place and see what they have done and I told my security not to follow me. I went there by myself and before you knew what was happening, a rally almost started in the place. As I was speaking with them, they went and brought what they removed and before I left there, the people started removing the other one to fix my own without given any order. So who is the home boy? Who is the street guy?
So for me PDP will win 2024 governorship election if they have a home boy as their candidate. But if you have people that has to talk to their people in the rural areas through an interpreter, just forget about it because Edo people have said they don’t want someone that will go to his village and go with an interpreter. It means he does not understand them, he does not know them. Also, let them tell us what they have done for their people. They said they were chairman of one parastatal or the other. But those positions they have held, how has it affected their people? What have they done for their people after being chairman of this or that? I can even call his own people by their names. Let me say that I believe in rotation, equity and fairness and all these are in my favour. And capacity is also in my favor.
But how do you protect those without population like the Central?
The thing is that Central can be governor if they have the candidate that has capacity, a candidate that is popularly accepted by the people. Now they want to divide us with the sentiment of Central, North and South, we are all from Benin. I am Ikpe man and we migrated from Ikpe in Sakpomba in Benin. And Ikpe left Benin to settle in Jattu. Fortunately for me, I am from Ikpe in Jattu. So if you say who am I, I will tell you I am a Benin man. The Esan man will tell you he is a Benin man because all of us can trace our ancestral history to Benin.
They want to use religion and ethnicity as tool to sell themselves. For me, I have said I am not going to play ethnic or religious politics because those things divide us, they do not unite us. What I would say is, who has the capacity? Who is more grounded in the activities of our state and can hit the ground running from day one. I will be the first governor that will swear in his Secretary to the State Government (SSG) the same day I am sworn in. I will also announce my commissioners with their portfolios and send to the House of Assembly immediately after the swearing in. The first assignment the SSG will perform will be signing the same letter with the names.
I have worked with Osunbor, Adams and the present Governor and I know their strengths and where those strengths have impacted positively in the state and areas where they have made mistakes and that we need to strengthen. I am not going to make those mistakes again and I am going to make sure that those things they have done positively are upgraded and areas where mistakes were made we will not repeat them. What I am bringing on board really is experience, capacity and knowledge of the system and I can tell you that is want Edo needs now. Edo does not need an interpreter.
What are those things you are bringing on board if you become the governor and how will you impact on the people?
The party is suffering in Edo State as we speak and this is a situation that needs someone that is experienced politically. Let nobody come and tell those things like, we need a technocrat, no! We need someone that has experience in the private sector and public sector, the two must come together. The era of deceiving us with private sector is gone because private sector means that you must be able to attract private sector initiatives. I have learnt that from my governor what private sector thinking is. I have been able to understand his own idea of the private sector and I have learnt some things from him.
But one thing that I can correct when I become governor is that I will not invest Edo State Government money in projects that naturally should be private sector-driven. Because when I am able to attract private sector to come and invest in Edo State, the equity of government should be land and providing infrastructure. The government has no business in putting its funds into private business, private business that is supposed to be driven by the private sector.
My own private sector initiative is that government equity should be providing infrastructure and when needed, provide land as equity. The private sector should bring their money to build their infrastructure and they must be able to take some level of risks.
So when I say that I have learnt from former Governors Osunbor and Osiomhole, it is the combination of what I saw them did very well and I will amplify them quickly. And areas where there were one or two mistakes, we don’t make them again and we forge ahead, that is what we are bringing on board.
How much support are you getting from your principal, the governor?
My governor and I have tension arising from my intention to contest, that is true. But like a loyal deputy, I will never fight my governor. I promised and I took a vow with my God that I will be loyal to my governor to the end. Even in the midst of harassment and intimidation, I have held on to that vow. Yes, he has Asue Ighodalo that he is supporting, he has the right to support him but I also have the right to contest and that is where the conflict is. His people are making the mistake of thinking that my contesting the election is disloyal, no. My loyalty remains and if you check, in spite of the intimidation, I have never said any negative things about my governor because the office of the governor must be respected at all times.
But we have to separate my ambition that is constitutionally guaranteed from loyalty. They are two separate things. I know by the grace of God, the governor will support me by the time I get the ticket because he has publicly declared that my fate is in the hands of PDP and I know my governor will support me because PDP will give me the ticket.
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