21st September, 2023
The embattled deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has begged his principal, Governor Godwin Obakeki, for forgiveness.
Shaibu made the plea in an interview with journalists after his investiture as the Grand Patron of the Catholic Men Organisation of Nigeria (CMO) of the Catholic ArchDiocese of Benin.
He asked Obaseki to forgive and forget.
Shaibu said: “Like I have always said, 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 prayed and know that in the next few weeks it will come back.
“I am missing my governor and I prayed that God will touch my governor’s and all us heart, and even those that are try 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 act of wickedness because I am not wicked and I have a clean heart.
“I use 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 said he and the governor had just one year to go, and he desires to work with Obaseki till the end.
“So, Mr. governor if there is anything you feel I have done please I am sorry, and I need us to work together to finish well and strong because that is my prayer for you,” he added.
Shaibu said he has also bowed to Obaseki’s order to relocate to his new office.
He added that he would gladly carry out any responsibility given to him by his principal.
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, Barr. Austin Odigie, said the decision to invest Shaibu was as a result of his commitment to the activities of the Church of God.
“We have seen your commitment to all activities in the church. You have brought yourself low to the level of all of us in the church.”