BY MYKE UZENDU, ABUJA
Deputy governor of Edo state, Hon. Philip Shaibu on Thursday, admitted that the harassments, intimidations and opposition he is receiving from the leadership of the party in the state is an indication that he will win the next governorship election.
This is even as the Deputy National Organizing Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Hon. Pascal Adigwe told the aspirant that he should not abandon the party if he unsuccessful at the primary election.
The governorship aspirant stated that his desire to rule Edo state is not inordinate but to serve the people and take the state away from businessmen and godfathers. He said that he has been in government and was majority leader of the house and also a federal lawmaker. He further boasted that if he wins the primary election, he will collapse all the structures of all the other parties to ensure that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) retains the Edo state government house.
Hon. Shaibu made the disclosure on Thursday in Abuja when he submitted his governorship nomination form at the PDP national headquarters.
Shaibu alerted that his resolve to block political godfathers from coming back to the state is in sink with position of the governor, Godwin Obaseki who had earlier stated that anyone who attempts to bring reintroduced godfatherism in the state should be dealt with.
He said, “We started the journey of rescuing Edo state in 2006 and we were conscious of what we wanted to achieve. We said that we needed to take our state back and return it to the people and we did take the state back and returned it to the people. Along the line, something happened and the state is about to be hijacked again and we said no.
“This election is another challenge, they want to take the state from Edo people and return it to businessmen and we are saying no because Edo state cannot return to Egypt. Edo state will continually move forward and the only way it can move forward is if power resides with the people. PDP says Power to the People not power to business friends or business colleagues”.
The deputy governor said that he is not new to harassments and intimidations as they are pointers that he is poised to win the governorship election.
“I will tell the leadership of PDP that some of us have been harassed, I have received a lot of intimidation but unfortunately for me, it is like a cross that God has asked me to carry. All my life has been a life of harassment and intimidation but in all the intimidations, I have always come out successful.
“This PDP primary is also going to be the same because now, they are buying people. They have bought all the elders but they have not been able to buy the youths. All the elders they have bought them except the elders that have they youths in mind. This is another challenge. It will get to a time when the money they are using to buy those guys, they will bring some of the money to me and I will use some of them to campaign so that PDP will win.
“I am not looking ruffled because I know the result from the beginning. When I will win an election, I know. When I am not intimidated, that means that that election will not be successful. The intimidation and harassment show the character of my victory. When you don’t intimidate me, I don’t win an election” Shaibu said.
He said that his support from the people is organic adding that he is connected to the people. “By the grace of God, our support is organic, it is not procured. I am not an aspirant that is being pushed, I am not an aspirant that is cut off from the people, Edo people, the voters know me, they touch me, they feel me”.
He said that he has already constituted a committee and has receiving the document on the blueprint of what we want to do in Edo state if he becomes the next president.
He added that he discharged all the duties assigned to him by the governor, digitized the revenue collection and procurement process which saved some money for the state.
He said, “The functions I have been given by the governor, sports, immunization, revenue I turned it around from 1.7bn to 4bn. I digitalized our collections.
“In immunization, we were number 34 when I took over and in three years, we became number one consistently for two years. I was able to reorganize the system. I discovered that there are other ailments that can be prevented through immunization for adult and women, cervical cancer, hepatitis B which is a killer disease and contagious can be prevented through vaccine. I was able to bring immunization under one roof and today the national last year adopted what I started four years ago in Edo state to become a national programme on immunization under one roof.
“I sports, I turned it around and a very low cost. I digitalized the process of bidding when it was handed over to me and was able to save 4.5bn for the state. That is to tell you the level of transparency and accountability that we brought in”.
Responding, Deputy National Organisaing Secretary, Hon. Paschal Adigwe told the aspirant that he should carry out his campaign putting unity and peace of the party at the fore front. He further told him that no matter whatever is the outcome of the primary, he should remain in the party just as he was assured of level playing ground.
“We are only begging, let there be peace. Let us go into the primary’s and ultimately the election, putting peace in front. You know that we are not scared of the other side of peace but please let us go peacefully.
“Secondly, let us consider the wishes of the people we want to govern, how do they want to be governed and we can craft our aspirations and ambitions around what the people wants.
“Thirdly extra commitment, extra unity of purpose, extra struggle cannot be over emphasized. So we are begging, hold our party strong.
“You are not new in contesting election, we are not new in encountering you so you know what to do and you know that in the elections that you have contested in the past, you have always won, meaning that someone has also always lost and the person didn’t die. So, elections can be won or lost depending on how God wants it.
“All I am asking is, you win you stay, you lose you stay” he told the governorship aspirant.
