I remain loyal, forgive me, Shaibu begs Obaseki

The Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has begged Governor Godwin Obaseki for forgiveness “if there is any mistake I have made as human.”

Shaibu, who made the plea while speaking to journalists on Thursday, said the plea became necessary to ensure that the present administration finished well in the state.

The deputy governor spoke shortly after his investiture as the Grand Patron of the Catholic Men Organisation of Nigeria of the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City.

There had been tension between the governor and the deputy over Shaibu’s alleged ambition to succeed Obaseki as governor.

In the heat of the crisis, which has lingered for weeks now, Shaibu dragged Obaseki to court, while the governor, in his latest reaction, relocated Shaibu’s office out of the government house.

But on Thursday, Shaibu said,  “I have always said that I am a loyal servant and nothing has changed. I took a vow to support my governor and as you can see, the Catholic people are here.

“Everything about me is that if I have a vow with God, there is nothing that can change it. I can only wish that the relationship that we have before, I pray and know that in the next few weeks it will come back.

“I am missing my governor and I pray that God will touch my governor’s and all our hearts, and even those that are trying to be in between us, God would touch their hearts to know that I mean well.

“If there is any mistake I have made as human, it is just human and not an act of wickedness because I am not wicked and I have a clean heart.

“I used this medium to appeal to Mr. Governor that if there is any mistake I have made or if there anything that I have done that I don’t know of, he should please forgive me so that we can develop our state together.”

Shaibu noted that the administration had just one year to go and that they had been the envy of the entire country because they saw their relationship as impossible.

Shaibu expressed gratitude to the CMO for the honour, saying, “l live my life in God, everything about me is God. When you remember that the life you have does not belong to you, you have no reason not to serve God.”

Earlier, the CMO President of the Archdiocese of Benin, Austin Odigie, said the decision to invest Shaibu was based on his commitment to the work of God in the church.