Philip Shaibu Defects Back to APC Amidst Allegations Against Governor Obaseki

Philip Shaibu, the reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, has left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and rejoined the All Progressive Congress (APC). His defection was announced during the APC’s Edo State inauguration of the National Working Committee for the upcoming Edo governorship election, held on Saturday, July 20.

At the meeting, Shaibu, 54, publicly expressed his decision to return to the APC and was officially welcomed back into the party by the National Organising Secretary.

This move followed Shaibu’s allegations on Friday, July 19, that his superior, Governor Godwin Obaseki, had prevented him from entering the state. During an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, two days after the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered his reinstatement as deputy governor, Shaibu claimed, “Yesterday, I received information that the governor instructed his men to block my entry into town. I am a free-born of Edo State; nobody can stop me from entering Edo State.”

He emphasized that the constitution guarantees his right to enter the state, regardless of his position. Shaibu also accused Governor Obaseki of threatening to ruin his political career after he announced his intention to seek the PDP’s governorship ticket in November 2023.

Additionally, Shaibu alleged that Obaseki was behind the attack on his convoy on Thursday, July 18, which resulted in the death of a police officer in Benin City. He claimed this attack was a fulfillment of Obaseki’s promise to destroy him.