The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, formally announced in a prerecorded address on Monday that he would run for governor in the coming 2024 Gubernatorial election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
After making his official statement, Shaibu opened his campaign office in Benin City, the state capital, amid a packed gathering of party members donning branded accessories.
“After holding numerous consultations, it was necessary for us to inform our followers of the outcome of those discussions.
Amid the resounding cheers of supporters, he declared, “And the answer is clear: They have asked me to run.”
The 53-year-old former lawmaker declared his determination to restore greatness to the South-South state, saying that he had risked his life for the state’s advancement.
The Edo deputy governor, whose political aspirations have been the source of ongoing friction with his senior, Governor Godwin Obaseki, shown his unwavering determination in the face of persecution.
Shaibu hails from the Edo North Senatorial area, which is also home to Adams Oshiomhole, the former governor of the state and current legislator for the area in the 10th Senate.
Oshiomhole’s political alliances with Obaseki and Shaibu, who had previously supported him, soured in the run-up to the 2020 governorship contest when the former labor leader was charged with “godfatherism,” a charge he refuted.
In the most recent election, Obaseki and Shaibu overcame All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Osagie Ize-Iyamu, despite Oshiomhole and other APC heavyweights, such as former President Muhammadu Buhari and Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu, supporting the APC candidate.
Eight states, including Edo, have off-cycle governorship elections as a result of legal disputes and judicial rulings. Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun, and Ondo are the remaining states.
Shaibu has a hard patch in front of him. He would face off against other PDP candidates for the party’s ticket in order to succeed Obaseki. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set September 21, 2024, as the date for the governorship election in Edo State.
