The deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu has denied reports that have inundated social media that he was planning to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).There was a report that went viral on Thursday afternoon that Shaibu had finalized plans to join the APC.
The report claimed that a high-ranking member of the APC reportedly said Shaibu would be accepted into the party early next week by the APC National Working Committee (NWC).
But a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Musa Ebomhiana said the architects of the story were hack writers and mischief-makers who were bent on destabilizing the state.
He said, “They will stop at nothing to widen the gulf between Mr Governor, His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki and his Deputy, Comrade Philip Shaibu.
“They have generated more lies from the pit of hell, saying that Comrade Philip Shaibu has perfected plans to rejoin the All Progressives Congress, APC, next week. There is no iota of truth in this.
“To further put a lie to this, the spin doctors claimed that the APC National Working Committee, NWC is set to receive him in Abuja. The question here for the discerning minds is that, is it the NWC of a party that receives a decampee into the party?“
Shaibu has never minced words, vowing to sink and swim with his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki.
“This, he has said severally at public fora. In view of this, I plead with these characters bent on driving a wedge between Comrade Philip Shaibu and his boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki to put the Edo project and the people far above their own selfish interest.”
In an earlier statement, Musa also disowned comments credited to Shiabu where he was said to have given reasons why he had not discussed the rift between him and his boss with anyone.
Musa said the story “is nothing but the imagination of the supposed hack writers and mischief-makers.“I wish to place on record that the Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has been on annual vacation. He has not granted any interview and he has not authorized anybody to speak for him to either online or any traditional news medium.
He said: ‘I’m able to speak for myself, I have not authorized anybody to speak for me and I have not granted any press interviews. The statement credited to me is fake’.
“In view of this, I wish to admonish discerning members of the public to be wary of mischief-makers, especially at this time.”
