Edo: Political Re-alignment Looms As Shuaibu Moves To Reconcile With Oshiomhole; Rift With Obaseki Worsens

Phillip Shuaibu, Edo State Deputy Governor says he’s planning to apologise to Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of the state over some comments he made during the 2019 governorship election in the state.

In his quest to support his boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki’s re-election bid, Shuaibu had made some disparaging comments against the former governor, including that Oshiomhole, who used to be his political ally was trying to play God.

Shuaibu also slammed Oshiomhole for trying to impose a governor on the state, saying the era of political godfatherism has ended in the state.

But speaking on a Channel Television programme on Tuesday, Shuaibu said he’s now ready to make up with his former ally, Oshiomhole.

According to him, it took him this long to make the move because Governor Obaseki forbade anyone in government from reconciling with Oshiomhole. Now that the governor has reconciled with Oshiomhole by “inviting him’ to state events, Shuaibu stated, he will also do so by apologising to the former governor for insulting him.

“I will apologise to Oshiomhole. I will find time to apologise to Adams Oshiomhole”, now that Obaseki “has made the move to be inviting him to programme,” he said.

Shuaibu said further:  I will find the time to apologise to him for some of the words used during the last election.”

The state’s deputy governor spoke as the rift worsened between him and Governor Obaseki over the former ambition to contest next year’s governorship election in the Heart Beat State, as Edo is widely known.

Not a few insist that his decision to reconcile with Oshiomhole is aimed at securing the former governor’s support to win the governorship next year, as well as shore up his support base ahead the critical election, particularly as the governor has insisted that he will not support him.

Governor Obaseki is backing another candidate in his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and has described his Deputy’s quest to become governor as overambitious.

On Monday, Shuaibu formally declared his interest to become the state’s number citizen, saying nobody can stop him.