‘The Clever Thing Okpebholo Has Done, Which We Didn’t Do’ – Shaibu Reveals

Former Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has acknowledged that Governor Monday Okpebholo has accomplished a significant feat within his first 100 days in office—something he and ex-Governor Godwin Obaseki did not manage during their tenure.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, Shaibu praised Okpebholo for successfully securing Federal Government support for Edo State, a move he admitted was absent in their administration.

He emphasized that this strategic collaboration would ease the state’s financial burden, allowing more resources to be directed toward development projects.

Shaibu said, “The clever thing the governor (Okpebholo) has done, which I applaud him for and which we didn’t do, is the ability to go to the centre and woo the centre for support.

“And the support coming from the centre will free the state’s resources for other developments. That is what he is cleverly doing, and I think that will help him to develop fast.”

Reflecting on the previous administration, Shaibu noted that while Obaseki’s government had good intentions, political influences eventually derailed their plans.

“Every government, even our own government, it was clear that we wanted to do good things and everything but along the line politics and interests came in,” he explained.

With his experience in government, Shaibu urged the people of Edo to support and pray for Okpebholo, stressing that the governor’s success directly impacts the state’s progress.

“That is why I consistently, without mincing words, each time I say support Okpebholo, I follow it up with please also pray for him, so that things that make one change and now become something negative will not happen in his own time,” he added.

Shaibu and Obaseki, once political allies, parted ways in the lead-up to the September 21 governorship election.

Shaibu eventually returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC), while Okpebholo, the APC candidate, emerged victorious in the election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).