Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has expressed regrets over some of his actions towards former Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
Shaibu who showed remorse over his actions towards Oshiomhole while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday, said Oshiomhole is still his father despite all that transpired between them during the 2020 governorship election in the state.
He said he would find time to apologise to the ex-governor over certain inappropriate words he used against him in the last governorship election in the state.
According to him, his rift with Governor Godwin Obaseki started when he congratulated Oshiomhole on his 2023 senatorial election victory.
The 53-year-old politician had on Monday officially declared his interest to run for the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo state, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
While Shaibu and Oshiomhole are both from the same Edo North Senatorial District, Obaseki and his Deputy were once allies of the former Labour Leader but the political association among them, went sower towards the 2020 governorship election when Oshiomhole was accused of ‘godfatherism’ which he denied.
However, in the last election, Obaseki and Shaibu trounced Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress despite that the APC candidate was backed by Oshiomhole and other APC heavyweights including the ex-governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, and ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking on Channels TV on Tuesday morning, Shaibu said despite not being in the same political party as Oshiomhole, they now share a cordial relationship, saying he regretted some words he used against the senator in the last poll.
“My relationship with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is cordial. When I say cordial, he is still my father. Politically, we are in different political parties,” he said.
He added, “I am happy that the governor (Obaseki) has started inviting the former governor (Oshiomhole) and my father to political functions. That is what I have been praying for.
“And now that he has started, I think that the next step is for me to reach him and also first apologise to him (Oshiomhole) for some use of words during the election but in terms of the principle of supporting Obaseki, I will still support Obaseki because God told me that is the right thing to do.
“One of the crises that I had was when I went to the Senate to congratulate Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and I was seen in a viral video. That was where my headache started because the governor’s style is that a friend of the governor, you must be a friend to him and an enemy to the governor, you must be an enemy to him. I understand that principle and I am being careful.
“What I was waiting for was for the governor to make that move because I would not make that move if the governor had not made the move. Now that he has made the move to invite Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, I am emboldened to go and see him.”
