The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has said that his deputy, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, manipulated the election of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Edo State Chapter, to install an Executive Council (EXCO) to advance his selfish ambition of becoming the governor of Edo State.
Obaseki made the revelation, at the weekend, during the celebration of the International Youths Day, with youths in the state, at the Youth House, in Benin City.
Recall that the emergence of the immediate past EXCO of NYCN, Edo State chapter, had sparked controversy among youth groups in the state as various interest groups protested the imposition of persons on the organisation and its organs. It took the intervention of the governor, who immediately moved to disband the EXCO and call for fresh elections, to restore order and sanity to the council.
Speaking on the crisis that rocked the Youth Council, Obaseki noted that Shaibu worked behind his back in an attempt to fester his ambition through the youth council.
According to the governor, “I want to apologise over the unfortunate incident that happened with the youth council election. It was done without my authorization and knowledge.
“As you can see now, the reason why my deputy governor manipulated your election is because he has political ambition and thought he could control and use the council to achieve his political goals. Please, I apologise. Going forward you will have an independent, well organised and well covered transparent election.”
Commending the youths, Edo First Lady, Betsy Obaseki, said, “You are the ones we are looking up to. That is the reason why we are getting involved in your affairs and life and are here to support you. We are expecting great things from you and are confident that you will not disappoint us.”
