The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu has denied having any plans to dump the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Shaibu stated that he has no issue with his immediate boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The Deputy Governor revealed this during an interview with Channels TV on Monday, where he debunked rumours that there was a rift between him and the governor.
Shaibu said: “I am happy with my governor; I don’t have any problem with my governor.”
“So, the issue of not being happy with my governor is not there. I remain absolutely loyal to my governor.”
However, Shaibu admitted that there were some internal challenges faced by the PDP in the state.
“There are issues we need to resolve over PDP,” he said.
The deputy governor’s statement come after reports circulated that he had made arrangements with an unnamed party to dump PDP.
Although the state government did not verify the reports, some sources privy to the recent developments in the party disclosed that Shaibu had met with rival party leaders while he was abroad on vacation.
The Chief Press Secretary of the deputy governor, Ebomhiana Musa, debunked the rumours in a statement on Monday, stating that they were mere speculations.
According to Musa, allegations that Shaibu would leave the PDP for a rival party were false and mere fallacy propagated by mischievous elements.
Governor Obaseki, with Shaibu as the running mate, first contested the governorship election in the state on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and won, defeating Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu who was the PDP candidate at the time.
Four years after, the governor and his deputy sought to be re-elected in the September 2020 election and won again.
In what can be described as a dramatic turn, they defeated Ize-Iyamu who had later joined the APC while they ran on the PDP platform, following a disagreement with the former APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.
