By Jethro Ibileke
The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has denied an online report indicating that he has perfected plans to rejoin the All Progressives Congress (APC), next week.
A statement in Benin by the media aide of the embattled deputy governor, Mr. Musa Ebhomiana, insisted that there is no iota of truth in the report.
This is even as he denied a report on social media titled “Why I Haven’t Discussed Rift With Obaseki to Anyone- Shaibu”, as false.
He further accused writers of the report who he referred to as spin doctors of claiming that the APC National Working Committee (NWC), is set to receive him (Shaibu) in Abuja.
According to him, “The question here for the discerning minds is that, is it the NWC of a party that receives a decampee into the party? Shaibu has never minced words, vowing to sink and swim with his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki.
“This, he has said severally at public fora. In view of this, I plead with these characters bent on driving a wedge between Comrade Philip Shaibu and his boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki to put the Edo project and the people far above their own selfish interest.”
Mr. Ebhomiana reiterated that the story is nothing but the imagination of the supposed hack writers and mischief makers.
Comrade Shaibu who is currently in court at Abuja, challenging the alleged impeachment by Governor Godwin Obaseki over his dogged decision to run for the governorship ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2024 election, said that that he could speak for himself.
Ebhomiana said that the deputy governor who s on annual vacation in the United States and has neither granted any interview nor authorized anybody to speak for him to either online or any traditional news medium.
He said: “I wish to place on record that the Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu has been on annual vacation, he has not granted any interview and he has not authorized anybody to speak for him to either online or any traditional news medium.
“I am able to speak for myself. I have not authorized anybody to speak for me and I have not granted any press interviews. The statement credited to me is fake. In view of this, I wish to admonish discerning members of the public to be wary of mischief makers, especially at this time.”