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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, on Wednesday, stormed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Headquarters to demand Certificate of Return for the primary conducted ahead of the September governorship election.
The deputy governor also raised alarm that he was being threatened with impeachment for insisting that the right thing be done in the PDP in Edo State.
Recall that Shaibu and Asue Ighodalo had emerged as governorship candidates of the PDP in Edo State after parallel primaries were conducted on February 22, 2023.
Shaibu was declared the winner with 301 votes by a faction of the party loyal to him while Ighodalo, in another primary, held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, won with 577 votes.
Addressing newsmen at the party’s headquarters on Wednesday, Shaibu said February 28, 2024 was set aside for the collection of certificate of return for the winner of the primary by the guidelines released by the National Working Committee of the party.
“I was told that someone came yesterday and was given the Certificate of Return. Well, the court will decide,” he said.
Shaibu added that he was not interested in reconciliation because the other group were threatening him with impeachment and harassing him and his supporters, stressing that unless he was given the Certificate of Return, the court will decide who is the real candidate of the party.