Following the emergence of two parallel candidates as the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) guber candidates ahead of the September 2024 governorship election in the state,, the incumbent Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has warned that the PDP will lose the state if he is not fielded as the candidate.
The Matrix had earlier reported that the PDP has elected Philip Shaibu and Asue Ighodalo as the party’s flagbearer in the forthcoming election sparking confusion and anxiety.
While Ighodalo was declared as the winner of the PDP primary held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City on Thursday, Philip Shaibu emerged as the candidate in another election held in a different venue.
Speaking on the development on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Shuaibu maintained that he is the authentic candidate of the party for the September 21 election, saying that Edo people do not want Ighodalo whom he said is not a homeboy.
“The option is for the PDP not to go and argue against my candidacy, if they do that PDP will lose Edo State. Edo people do not want Asue Ighodalo to be the governor of Edo State because he is not a homeboy they know.
“They are looking for someone that they know, somebody they can feel, somebody they can touch. PDP has a date with history, delegates have spoken that they want Shuaibu and I can bet you that the other eight aspirants will support Shuaibu if the party backs him.
“If the party decides to join us in court to argue for Ighodalo then PDP winning Edo State will be shaky because Asue will not be accepted by the people,” Shaibu said.
The deputy governor faulted the primary that produced Ighodalo, saying that it was organised by the state party executive instead of the national executive of the party.
He claimed that members of the state executive and the governor are supporters of Ighodalo and therefore were not going to conduct an unbiased election.
Shaibu insisted that he was elected by the authentic delegates of the party in the state.
“I was elected by the authentic delegates, what is key is who are those that elected the governor’s preferred candidate Asue and who are those that elected Philip Shuaibu? I think in the coming days we will know who among them are authentic,” he said.
