Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, says he would not back his deputy, Philip Shaibu, to succeed him.

Obaseki said an intense politicking would be a distraction to his government, stressing that no amount of blackmail would make him to support Shaibu’s governorship ambition ahead of the 2024 gubernatorial election in Edo State.

The governor said this in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, on Sunday.

Osagie said it was Obaseki’s well-considered position that abandoning governance to pursue intense politics now would not be in the best interests of the people of Edo State.

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He, however, described Shaibu as a rabble-rouser, saying: “Shaibu always plays the card of a very loyal deputy, but this is far from reality. A sinner runs when no one pursues him.

“The most blame goes to Governor Obaseki for trying to adopt a civilised manner in relating with his deputy, in a society where such gesture would be taken for weakness.”

Shuaibu recently approached a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to stop the commencement of an impeachment process against him.

There had been a reported crisis between Governor Obaseki and his deputy, but Shaibu had on several occasions dismissed it.

The Star