Progress Abisola
Reinstated deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, said he has dropped his governorship ambition to support the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Monday Okpebholo in the September 21 governorship in the state.
Shaibu spoke on weekend at the Afemai World Congress held on July 27 in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.
In a video clip made available by the organisers of the Afemai World Congress on Sunday, Shaibu, also called on the diaspora to be interested in the politics of Nigeria.
He said, “Elections are coming and I would like you to be interested. You see that I have moved from PDP back to APC. I moved to PDP because of the governor and I am back in the APC because of the governor.
“I wanted to become the governor and they said they would destroy if I continued to nurse that ambition. They have done everything but God has kept me alive.
“I was impeached but I knew i would come to this programme as the deputy governor. I have been reinstated and my impeachment was part of intimidation and harassment, which I have gone beyond. We must begin to look for ways to salvage our country.
“I am supporting the APC candidate because he is a breath of fresh air and he is not contaminated yet. He doesn’t speak too much English. He talks less and do more and he is the first person to break the jinx in Edo Central by winning the Senate seat on the platform APC.
“The same scenario that made him a Senate is playing out now. It is obvious that the Grace of God is upon him. I have played my card, we are still young. If God says I will be governor, then I will be. I have left my ambition to God and we will make Afemai and Edo State, the land of our dream.
“There is need for us to be interested in Politics of Edo State, it is very key. Dr Hassan Lekki who was born abroad is now member of the Edo State House of Assembly and he is doing very well.
The Acting Chairman of the APC, Jarret Tenebe, also urged the diaspora to be interested in who becomes the next governor of the state.
He also called for support for the APC candidate, noting that the diaspora should call their people on the need to back Okpebholo.
“I urge our people in diaspora to be interested in who becomes the next governor. If you fail to be interested you will allow Idiots to rule you.
“Today, it is impossible to win election at home without the support of the diaspora. If this programme was open to everybody i am sure most of the political parties will be here to seek your support because this is an election year in the state.
“If we have good people in governance in the state, most of the things that are not going on well will work well.
“I employ you to encourage your people, your children to come back home to join hands with us because as the chairman of the occasion said, we have failed at home and we need the diaspora to help us build our society.”