Photo caption: Asue Ighodalo (left) and Philip Shaibu
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, has denied having a hand in the impeachment of the former deputy governor of the state, Philip Shaibu.
In a statement on Monday by his media team, Ighodalo described Shaibu’s claim as spurious, saying he would have ignored it but decided to set the record straight.
Ighodalo was reacting to a video in which Shaibu was captured as accusing him of sponsoring his impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly.
The video clip, said to be from a gathering in Ogbona, Edo North Local Government Area of the state, at the weekend, surfaced online on Monday.
Shaibu was impeached by the state House of Assembly on April 8, 2024, over allegations of perjury and leaking of government secrets.
His impeachment marked the crescendo of the crisis between him and Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Trouble started when Obaseki opposed Shaibu’s governorship ambition and instead threw its weight behind Ighodalo.
In a statement on Monday, Ighodalo said Shaibu should not blame him for his impeachment.
His media team said, “While we would not usually respond to every passing comment, it has become imperative to address the recent spurious allegations by former deputy governor, Phillip Shaibu.
“It is necessary for the record, to state in no uncertain terms, that Asue Ighodalo has had no role or involvement in any form whatsoever in the very public process leading to Shaibu’s impeachment and subsequent removal from office by the Edo State House of Assembly.
“These claims are completely without merit, and Ighodalo categorically denies any such involvement. These allegations are a clear attempt to unjustly tarnish his reputation and divert attention from the actual issues at hand.”
The PDP governorship candidate urged the public to disregard “these false statements with well-deserved scepticism.”
Ighodalo said he remained focused on running a governorship campaign based on issues and devoid of distractions.
