Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor of Edo State and a candidate for governor, reportedly had his campaign vehicle vandalized at Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government area, by alleged thugs.
According to reports, the incident occurred on Sunday night during a gathering of Shaibu’s supporters in Illeh, Ward 10.
The coordinator of Shaibu’s campaign in the region, Otoide Abas, described the occurrence over the phone, stating that he was in the police station and that the police had recovered the vandalized vehicle.
He said, “We had just concluded a meeting with Ward 10 (Illeh) PDP faithful when the incident occurred. We started the meeting at about 5:00 pm and we finished a few minutes to six.
“After the meeting, we went in the Sienna bus given to us by Comrade Shaibu to Ekpoma to meet with other supporters and we decided to make a quick stop at the local market square in Ekpoma to purchase some beef barbecue (Suya).
“We were standing by where we wanted to buy something when we saw about seven boys come down from a bus packed close by and started shooting, we all ran for safety and they went to where we parked the bus and destroyed it.
“Police retrieved the vehicle that night and as I am talking to you, I am in the police station because I was told to report today (Monday).”
Shaibu said he had been the target of multiple attempts to obstruct his campaign and had recently complained of allegedly state-sponsored vandalism of his billboards. Despite this, he said he was steadfast in his resolve to retake the state from business-oriented individuals who put their own interests ahead of the wellbeing of the populace.
In November of last year, the deputy governor formally declared his intention to run in the next party primaries for the Peoples Democratic Party ticket.
Following a months-long dispute between Shaibu and his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki, he made his official announcement.
