Shaibu: Obaseki is my elder brother — I remain loyal to him

Philip Shaibu, deputy governor of Edo, has pledged his loyalty to Godwin Obaseki, governor of the state.

Shaibu spoke on Sunday at the 32nd anniversary ceremony of Edo state, which took place at the government house, Benin city.

Over the past few weeks, Obaseki and Shaibu have been at loggerheads over issues pertaining to the alleged impeachment plot against the deputy governor.

In July, Shaibu approached a federal high court in Abuja with a suit to prevent the plot.

However, Obaseki and Blessing Agbebaku, speaker of the Edo house of assembly, denied the alleged impeachment plot.

In early August, Obaseki accused Shaibu of attempting to overthrow him.

Speaking at the event, the deputy governor described Obaseki as his “elder brother”, adding that he will not discuss issues with the governor “on camera”.

He said his loyalty to Obaseki does not stop his ambition.

He added that he has spoken to God about supporting the governor till the end of their tenure.

“As for the issues that are around town when I was away, I really would not want to talk. Issues that concern my governor are not things I like to speak about on camera,” he said.

“He is my elder brother and boss and I don’t think I should talk about anything.

“And if I have issues with him, I think it is better settled at home and not in the media. I am well brought up.

“I can tell you that from my Christian background, if you make a vow with God that you want to do something, you must fulfill it.

“The vow I have made with God is that I will continue to support Godwin Obaseki as the governor of Edo state from the beginning to the end.

“But that does not stop anything that has to do with ambition. Ambition is personal and it does not affect loyalty.

“My loyalty to the governor remains absolute. I see that everybody is doing solidarity. I am also in solidarity with the governor.”

There are insinuations that Shaibu is planning to contest the 2024 Edo governorship election.