The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu has stormed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s national headquarters in Abuja, demanding the party’s certificate of return for the governorship election.
Shaibu was declared the winner of a parallel PDP governorship candidate for the state while Asue Ighodalo won the main election.
Although the PDP had presented a certificate of return to Ighodalo, Shaibu was at the party’s secretariat on Wednesday to ask for the same thing. He insists he won the primary election and should be formally recognised as such.
He said, “Today is the day set aside for the collection of certificate of return for the winner of the primary. I understand someone came yesterday and was given, well, the court will decide…”
Before his most recent action, the Edo State deputy governor has maintained that he is the authentic flagbearer of the party.
“I was elected by the authentic delegates, what is key is who are those that elected the governor’s preferred candidate Asue, and who are those that elected Philip Shaibu? I think in the coming days we will know who among them are authentic,” he said on a televised interview with newsmen on Friday.
He also claimed that Ighodalo does not understand the grassroots unlike him.
“The option is for the PDP not to go and argue against my candidacy, if they do that PDP will lose Edo State. Edo people do not want Asue Ighodalo to be the governor of Edo State because he is not a homeboy they know,” Shaibu said.
“They are looking for someone that they know, somebody they can feel, somebody they can touch. PDP has a date with history, delegates have spoken that they want Shuaibu and I can bet you that the other eight aspirants will support Shuaibu if they back him.
If the party decides to join us in court to argue for Ighodalo then PDP then winning Edo State for PDP will be shaky because Asue will not be accepted by the people”.
