A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Charles Idahosa, on Wednesday, faulted the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki’s opposition to the governorship ambition of his deputy, Philip Shaibu.
Obaseki and Shaibu fell out a few months ago over the latter’s ambition to contest the 2024 governorship election in the state.
The governor is clamouring for a candidate from the Edo Central zone to succeed him next year.
Idahosa, who spoke with journalists in Benin City, expressed disappointment at the rift between the two leaders.
He said: “I was disappointed when the rift became public. I was also taken aback by some of the comments of the leaders in Edo State. The major problem we have is weak leadership. What we see here is that people are afraid of telling the truth to power.
“The governor has no right to tell the deputy governor the limit of his political ambition. Obaseki didn’t need to fight Shaibu; the fight was totally uncalled for. What he should have done is sell his candidate to the leaders of the party, who will in turn work for that candidate instead of allowing the issue to degenerate.
“The way deputy governors are being treated in the country, the position will no longer be appealing. After serving as the deputy governor, the next step is to aspire for the position of the governor. So, Shaibu has not done anything wrong.
“When it comes to politics, we need somebody who understands the terrain and who is part and parcel of the people. You don’t go and bring somebody who doesn’t know us. This time, we need somebody who is part and parcel of us. I just pray the PDP puts its house in order before the election.”
