THE BURNT BRIDGE
By Omololu Ojehomon
It’s no longer news of the recent happenings in Edo State. Mostly with the attitude and behavior of the deputy Governor Philip Shaibu. For some time now I have held my peace on the matter, but after reading many articles and watching video clips I decided it was time to express myself and provide my view and opinion on it.
The first test is loyalty and how many of us view it. Everyone believed that Philip Shaibu was loyal to Governor Godwin Obaseki. It as also believed that the Governor was not loyal to Oshiomhole and that he betrayed him. I do not share this sentiment and never have. Governor Godwin Obaseki trusted Philip Shaibu to handle the political matters and dealings with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole while they were in the APC. Philip Shaibu misadvised the Governor concerning the Comrade which led to the problems between both men and the eventual exit from the party by the Governor. We all saw how it played out.
As we all know, Adams and Philip are brothers and anything Philip wanted politically Adams gave it to him, no questions asked. I also know that Adams listened to Philip and hardly finalized any decision without his input. It was strange that Philip claimed to have begged Oshiomhole and he did not agree with him on Governor Obaseki’s matter. Even stranger when he began to make statements publicly against Oshiomhole, perhaps proof of his loyalty to Governor Obaseki and to gain his trust. One thing was sure Philip had a personal agenda that was sinister, wicked, and selfish.
It is customary that in a merger between the incoming group and the accepting party that all positions are shared, both in government and politically. The balancing in government would have been in all fairness that the deputy governor came from the accepting party, which in turn would have been receptive to harmonization and integration. With Philip Shaibu remaining as the deputy governor, brought anxiety and disapproval to many in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The members did not understand how this could be. It was definitely a difficult position for the governor, perhaps to reward Philip for his assumed loyalty and his need for him to assist handle the political matters. (As the saying goes, ‘it is better to deal with the devil you know than the angel you just met.) It was in the dealings that in conclusion Chief Dan Osi Orbih accepted to the vice Chairman South-South and both sides joined together to unanimously affirm him at a congress held in Port-Harcourt.
Let’s fast forward. In November 2020 an article surfaced just after the governor was sworn into office, “Philip Shaibu for Governor 2024”. I was thrown by this article and contacted the writer to understand what he meant by it. I quarreled that the governor had just been sworn in and by no means should such an article be put out or even discussed at this time. However, it alerted us to the ambition of the deputy governor which was of great concern to us. We knew that if our intuition was right, it would not take long for Philip to show himself like the proverbial tortoise who named himself ”All-of-you” at the party in the sky forgetting he got there on borrowed feathers. Philip Shaibu swung into action; he got the governor to concede Edo North to him to handle the political matters. He called himself the governor of Edo North and his wife the first lady. Philip’s first agenda was to sideline all PDP members there, he made sure that nothing got to the Leaders of party, he literally grounded the party there, leaving its leaders aggrieved. His wife, Mariam called several meetings in Owan West concerning women where she excluded the PDP women. I was called on several occasions and asked why I was not in such a meeting and why PDP women were not a part of it. Of course I did not know. Finance did not get to the PDP. Philip made promises of financial support to us that till date was not kept. He disregarded us and kept leaders waiting at meetings scheduled by him and never showed. Akoko-Edo and Owan were insignificant to him and treated them as such. He did everything to completely dismantle our structure, but we held on to it knowing that Governor Godwin Obaseki had no hand in it. Everyone known or perceived to be loyal to the Governor were targets and everything was done to see that we were grounded by all means, while being termed betrayers and traitors. It was a brutish experience.
When he and his wife were disgraced in the first election 2023, for the first time he with tears in his eyes called for meetings in Akoko-Edo and Owan, just to tell us to unleash violence on our people that he was the government, and we had his backing. Pity!
He failed woefully. He had made himself the godfather unleashed on us in Edo North. We had been choked by this man and his wife. Everything was taken away from us. Any resemblance of development and progress in our areas was thwarted by Philip and diverted to his village.
Now, when he made the statement to our faces, that he followed the governor to PDP and was not a member of the party on several occasions, and also repeatedly told us that he didn’t need us to win his election, we realized we had a fight on our hands. Yet he enjoyed the office of the DG on our platform. He replaced PDP members for positions with members from the APC or those he felt were loyalty to him like his laundry man and driver and any persons willing to be in servitude to his wife and do anything they were asked, even if it meant killing their mother. He disregarded the PDP leaders and took decisions solely on his own. Things were falling apart.
When he threatened to leave the party he claimed not to be a member of, for the Labour Party (LP) on Channels television, the entire process failed woefully because the Governor told him firmly that he was not going to be a party to that and was forever grateful to the PDP. Shaibu wanted government and without government he had no value so he remained.
Today, Philip is found wanting. He has shown his hand by attempting to take over the office of the Governor. The truth has come out. PDP will survive like it always does. We are resilient.
My advice. Rather than wait for the courts to give judgement on a preemptive basis on a nonexistent matter. RESIGN HONORABLY FROM THE OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR. Let all end well.
PDP – Power to the People
God bless Governor Obaseki
God bless Edo State