APC ETSAKO WEST PROTESTS PHILIP SHAIBU’S ALLEGED DEFECTION

 

In what appears to be a tumultuous turn of events, former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, finds himself in the eye of the storm.

Impeached in less than 24 hours, the aftermath of his removal has sparked protests among members of the APC in Etsako West, his primary constituency, who vehemently oppose his rumored defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC. 

Amidst a sea of protesters wielding placards and banners, the sentiment is clear: Philip Shaibu is unwelcome in the APC fold. With cries asserting his purported lack of electoral value and calls for him to remain within the ranks of the PDP, it’s evident that Shaibu’s political homecoming is met with fierce resistance from his own people.

Protesters from the 12 wards in the council area marched to the party secretariat to submit their petition against the move.

Presenting a communique on behalf of the APC stakeholders in Etsako West LGA, Yakubu Musa said Shaibu’s exit from the APC in 2020 brought peace and tranquillity to the party, noting that the former deputy governor’s return would bring rancour and disunity to the party.

Musa said, “We are protesting over an attempt by the impeached deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, to jump the boat and defect to the APC.

“The attempt is viewed seriously by members of APC as a calculated plan by Shaibu to bring rancour, disharmony, and unprecedented crisis into APC.”

Musa appealed to the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje,  Senator Adams Oshiomhole and the State Acting Chairman, Jaret Tenebe, not to allow the impeached deputy governor into APC, saying that Shaibu has no political value to add to the APC.

He added, “It is on record that Philip Shaibu has not won any election since he left APC for the PDP. He does not possess any electoral value that could warrant his readmittance into our great party.

“We call on our national leaders to hear our voice and help us keep the peace we currently enjoy in Edo APC.

“Any attempt to readmit Shaibu into APC is a direct invitation to crisis, fragmentation, disaffection, disenchantment, and disintegration”

Philip Shaibu now grapples with the harsh reality that power is transient. Once a key figure in the political landscape, his journey from deputy governor to impeachment reflects the volatile nature of politics.