Monday Okpebholo is a fresher, not contaminated yet --Shaibu

By Besiru Enakhimion.

Edo State Deputy Governor,  Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu has given reasons for supporting the governorship candidate of All Progressives  Congress in Edo 2024 Guber election, Senator Monday Okpebholo  . He described the Senator as a fresher that has not been contaminated yet.

" The APC candidate I am supporting, I am supporting him because he is a fresher, he is not contaminated yet . He doesn't speak too much English. It is talk less and do more ."

Going prophetic, he said,

" He is the first person to break the jinx of APC having an inroad into Esan land. The same  scenario that played, that  made him the Senator he is today, is the same scenario that is playing in the state . It is obvious that the grace of God is upon him."

The number 2 citizen in Edo State made his statement at the just concluded 2024 edition of Afemai World Congress, in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Rt. Hon. Comrade Shaibu maintained that the most important assignment is how to salvage the state.

" It is not time for English, it is time to do the work . Do the work is what is there ." He added .

Below is the remaining part of the deputy governor's speech :

"You will see that I have moved to the APC and the reason is not far fetched . I went to the PDP because of the governor and I am back to the APC because of the governor .

" I wanted to be governor of the state, he said he will destroy me if I continue and he has done everything to destroy me but God is making me to stand. It is not my effort , is God and your prayers. On Thursday last week, I escaped an assassination by him. The people that have been arrested are already confessing how they planned to assassinate me last week. I escaped a lot of assassinations during the military era when we were fighting for this democracy. So civilian assassination is very small compared to that of the military when they were there . But what is keeping me on is your prayers; I need those prayers and God is answering them.

"I told madam when she was worried that there is a deputy governor. I said don't worry madam, by the grace of God, by the time I am coming to the Afemai World Congress this year ,  I will be coming as the deputy governor , not former deputy governor. I said madam, don't worry, yes I have been impeached but I will be coming to this programme as deputy governor because the impeachment was just part of those intimidation and harassment .

"When I was speaking to her, it was like a mission impossible, because I am the first deputy governor that has been impeached , within three months I am reinstated and the judge said there was never a vacancy. The judge went further in one of his consequential orders, to order that the governor or his proxy should not interfere with any of my duties as the deputy governor until the end of the term. Is it not God ? Is God .

" When I came last year, it was already two months in the quarrel, but when I came, I am sure you never knew there was quarrel. I represented the state.

" The last cheque I got from government was in May 25th last year. It's one year, two months, I have not received any cheque from the government , but I am waxing strong. I am doing well. That is why, when you are coming into politics, you must have a second address . If you have a second address, you can look at them, eye ball to eye ball and say this must happen, this must not happen, because if it is the end of politics, you will have somewhere to go back to. But because most politicians have no where to go back to , if they say jump, they will tell you, how high ? If they say sit, they will say , how do I sit ? I have gone beyond how high and low."

On his political ambition, the deputy governor said:

"I have played my card. We are still young, if God says I will be governor, I will be governor . I have left my ambition and everything about me politically to God. By the grace of God, we will make our state , we will make Afemai a land of our dream." He urged the Afemai people in the diaspora to be interested in the September 2024 gubernatorial election in the state.

His speech was applauded by the audience.