Philip Shaibu, the former deputy governor of Edo State, has praised the current governor, Monday Okpebholo, for securing crucial support from the Federal Government within his first 100 days in office, a feat he and former governor Godwin Obaseki were unable to achieve during their tenure.
Shaibu made these remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday. He commended Okpebholo’s ability to attract federal resources to Edo State, which, according to Shaibu, will ease the financial burden on the state and allow for more development projects.
Shaibu stated, “The clever thing the governor (Okpebholo) has done which I applaud him for and which we didn’t do is the ability to go to the centre and woo the centre for support. And the support coming from the centre will free the state’s resources for other developments. That is what he is cleverly doing, and I think that will help him to develop fast.”
He further emphasized the importance of political unity and support for the governor, despite his differences with Okpebholo’s administration.
Reflecting on his own time in office, Shaibu noted that political interests often hindered progress, but he encouraged Edo residents to support and pray for Okpebholo’s success.
“Every government, even our own government, it was clear that we wanted to do good things and everything but along the line politics and interests came in,” Shaibu added.
“That is why I consistently without mincing words, each time I say support Okpebholo, I followed it up with please also pray for him, so that things that make one to change and now become something negative not be in his own time.”
Shaibu, who was once a close ally of Obaseki, eventually fell out with the governor in the lead-up to the September 2024 governorship election, and later returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Okpebholo, the APC candidate, was subsequently declared the winner of the election.