I couldn’t risk it – Obaseki on why he refused backing Philip Shaibu to succeed him as gov

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has said his decision
not to support his former deputy, Philip Shaibu, to succeed him was aimed at
protecting the people of the state.

Obaseki stated that he could not take the risk of backing
Shaibu to become the next governor, citing political permutations in the state
that were against Shaibu.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the
governor addressed the fallout between him and his former Deputy in the
build-up to the Peoples Democratic Party primary election.

The fallout resulted in Shaibu conducting a parallel primary
election, which declared him as a candidate, but the party rejected his
candidacy. Subsequently, due to the face-off with his principal, the state
House of Assembly impeached him.

Speaking on the matter, Obaseki stated, “For me, I did not
understand where the ambition was coming from because it was clear that the
odds were not in his favor in terms of succeeding me, and I made it very
clear.”