The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, on Wednesday, said he was persuaded to be the running mate to Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Shaibu, who fell out with the governor following his run for the forthcoming 2024 governorship election, said he was drafted in to add political value to Obaseki, who then contested as governor.
The deputy governor stated this while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme.
According to him, it took almost one month to persuade him to accept the position of deputy governor.
“First, I was persuaded. Actually, I didn’t want to be the deputy governor. I was very comfortable in the House of Representatives. I was persuaded. It took almost one month to persuade me to accept to be the deputy governor of Edo state. And so there were no protests, it was persuasion.
“Then my supporters and others said, ‘look you have to be there’, and i accepted. Why? To add value to Obaseki’s ticket because Obaseki wasn’t known, and he wasn’t one of the politicians.
“They needed a young vibrant politician that has won election before and that can add political value to the ticket. I was actually persuaded to accept.”
