Edo Guber: Why Orbih, Shaibu, Adjoto, Others Are Ganging Up Against Obaseki

BENIN CITY The Vice Chairman South-South of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dan Orbih; former Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu; former Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Kabiru Adjoto, and several other bigwigs and followers of the party in Edo North senatorial district, weekend, said they were displeased with the way Governor Godwin Obaseki was going about the September 21 Edo governorship poll.

The event was a meeting of the Legacy Group of the PDP at Orbihs country home, Ogbona, Etsako Central Local Government Area, where Orbih also denounced his membership of the PDP campaign council for the election.

They said the current PDP led by Governor Obaseki and his chosen candidate, Asue Ighodalo, cannot lead Edo, adding that the PDP Legacy Group will vote for a candidate who would represent the good people of the state.

Read Also: Rivers tanker explosion: Govs advocate safer transportation of petroleum products The gang-up is coming as Deputy Governor, Marvellous Omobayo, said that his Akoko-Edo Local Government Area would deliver not less than 80 per cent of its votes to the PDP.

Orbih said they are the foundation of PDP which is anchored on unity, fairness, justice and equity, saying that Governor Obaseki came into the party in 2020 and abandoned the group that worked and voted for his re-election.

His words: I am not part and parcel of the PDP campaign council. In 2020, we came out in Edo North supporting the election and re-election of Gov Godwin Obaseki. I, Dan Orbih, worked with Governor Obaseki to deliver him. People ask me questions: where are we today, what is the way forward?

Today, I can boldly tell you, all is not well with the Edo State PDP. As we prepare and move forward for the upcoming election we will do all we can to let Edo people know that this election is about Edo and the future of Edo.

Let me send a powerful message to PDP, we the Edo PDP can tell you that it is not well with Edo PDP. I hereby denounce my membership as a member of PDP Edo campaign council. Obaseki and his chosen candidate is not the way forward.

Orbih also condemned the impeachment of Shaibu and said that the Legacy Group was behind him. He said: The present predicament of Philip Shaibu is that some people are saying you have no right to contest the election. We are here today to let the good people of Edo North know that we support you, appreciate you and in the matter between you and the Edo State government, we stand by you. As for the PDP legacy group, we are proud of Philip Shaibu.

On his part, Shaibu said Edo people cannot vote for a candidate who does not know their problems and challenges. We will not vote for an outsider. Edo State needs a home grown person, I want to assure you that we are in support of Dan Orbihs Legacy Group. We will not support Asue Ighodalo. WE will wait for the direction of the PDP Legacy group on who to vote for, Shaibu said.

In like manner, Adjoto said PDP under the leadership of Obaseki could not manage the success of its victory in 2020.

He said that instead of consolidating on the victory recorded in 2020 election by rewarding those who worked for his re-election, Obaseki opted for others in the party who did not work for the party. Dan Orbih, we have seen what you saw and we are here to queue behind you anywhere you go, we go. We are waiting for you instruction, Adjoto said

However, Deputy Governor, Omobayo, said the PDP would win the election, assuring that his Akoko-Edo people would deliver at least 80 per cent of their votes to Ighodalo.

He stated this at a reception organised by the Akoko-Edo Forum, AEF, in collaboration with the local government area and the traditional institution where the AEF requested the National Assembly Constitution Review Committee to create two additional local government areas of the council in view of its landmass to engender development.

Omobayo, who said he did not lobby for deputy governorship, said Governor Obasekis sense of equity and justice should be rewarded.

His words: I flipped through the history books and saw the very painful neglect, marginalization and humiliation that Akoko-Edo had suffered overtime. This was the reason he gave Akoko-Edo the position of his first Chief of Staff, Press Secretary, SSA on Research and Documentation, even Speaker of the House and other principal offices in the House of Assembly.

Governor Obaseki has a very fair sense of justice, fairness and equity. This informed his, permit me to use the word, stubborn decisions that the next governor must come from Edo Central. We must deliberately and consciously liberate ourselves. Governor Obaseki has broken a generatio