The Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has alleged that majority of individuals venturing into politics are dishonest, stating that 75% of private sector tycoons entering politics are scammers.
Shaibu warned political parties, including President Bola Tinubu, against accepting individuals from the corporate world into democratic settings, citing their lack of integrity.
According to him, his experience with his former superior, Godwin Obaseki, who he described as a “non-politician,” has taught him to be extremely cautious with business tycoons entering politics.
“From my experience with Obaseki, we should be extremely careful. I think the president too should be very careful with these people who call themselves private sector individuals and want to enter politics. I have studied them, using Obaseki as a case study, and discovered that 60 to 75 percent of them in the so-called private sectors are scammers” he said.
Speaking during an interview on a popular television programme yesterday, the former governor noted that he never believed Obaseki was fit to lead the state.
Shaibu revealed that he was initially hesitant to support Obaseki, but was eventually convinced by Adams Oshiomhole, the 9th governor of the state, who highlighted Obaseki’s strong economic background.
“Obaseki is not a politician. We made him governor, Oshiomhole convinced us. I was not one of those that believed he shouldn’t be the governor because I didn’t believe in him.
“When he was brought out to contest, I was the last man standing saying no to him, but out of respect, I was convinced. But what we were told, and Comrade predicted well, was that we needed him because we were going into recession, and we needed someone that has an economic background with private sector knowledge. We believed Comrade, we didn’t believe him,” the former deputy governor stated.
He added that their political structure was dismantled to accommodate Obaseki in the first term, based on trust in Oshiomhole’s vision, but the dynamics drastically shifted in the second term.
Addressing claims that he was ungrateful to his former boss, Shaibu stated that the story was twisted as people would always air their opinion to suit narrative.
he said “Obaseki is ungrateful, not me. I’m not like any deputy they pick from the street. I was very active in the parliament before becoming the deputy. I was a voice in the House of Representatives”
“I was brought in to add value, to bring the political aspect to make him win. I brought something he didn’t have to win the ticket; I brought political wins and everything, including finance, to make him governor. He didn’t bring anything; he only made himself available to be governor. In terms of structure, political richness, and finance, he was nowhere. I was the one who gave him leverage”.
