Philip Shaibu, the court-reinstated deputy governor of Edo State, declared himself an unofficial member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday.
On Wednesday, Justice J. K. Omotosho of the Abuja Federal High Court overturned Shaibu’s impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly.
Speaking on Arise TV’s morning show, Shaibu explained that while he hasn’t formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he has aligned himself with the APC.
“In PDP now, everybody can support whoever they like. On the issue of supporting a candidate, the constitution guarantees that you can support who you like and you can belong to any political party. As of now, I’m a PDP man and I will not support anybody while I am in another party contrary to who I am supporting. For now, I am a member of PDP but going forward, I am good at being a member of APC; I can tell you that,” Shaibu said.
Addressing his divided loyalty, Shaibu highlighted his unwavering commitment to the APC.
“The only thing that is keeping me in PDP is that I have not officially declared. Talking more seriously, I am actually a member of APC, but unofficial. My spirit has left PDP for a long time, it is only my leg and body that are still there because my PDP party card is still with me and I have not picked an APC party card yet. But in terms of spirit, my spirit has left PDP and is now in APC,” he added.
Shaibu also revealed that he had made 111 unanswered calls to his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki, since the political crisis in the state began. “I have sent texts, but he never replied. The last text I sent was on his birthday,” Shaibu said.
On Thursday, Shaibu’s convoy was attacked by gunmen in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, upon his return from Abuja. He was in the company of the APC Governorship Candidate, Sen. Monday Okpebholo, when the assailants struck, reportedly killing a policeman in their convoy.
The incident occurred on Airport Road, and although it was not immediately known if Okpebholo was wounded, he is reportedly hospitalized in an undisclosed location in Benin City.
