A Human Rights Activist, Chief Dr Patrick Osagie Eholor, has faulted the rebuttal by the Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, that he did not hand over $300,000 to Governor Godwin Obaseki to make up $3m which was purportedly spent on securing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) guber ticket in 2020.
Shaibu had issued a statement on Friday in which he denied that the incident that the National Vice Chairman (South-south) of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, spoke about ever happened.
The Deputy Governor dismissed claim by Chief Dan Osi Orbih, purporting that he (Shaibu) gave the Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, the sum of $300,000 to hand over to Orbih as part of some sort of political settlement regarding the Edo State chapter of the PDP.
In a statement, Shaibu had said the allegation was absolutely false, and had urged that the insinuations be disregarded.
He said: “It has come to my attention that the National Vice Chairman, South-South of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dan Osi Orbih, has made an absolutely false allegation purporting that I had given the Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, the sum of $300,000 to hand over to Orbih as part of some sort of political settlement regarding the Edo State chapter of the PDP.
“Nothing can be farther from the truth.
“I want to state without equivocation that no such transaction ever occurred. It even betrays reasons that I, as Deputy Governor, would have to send the State Governor, my boss, on an errand to hand money to a party leader. It is an aberration of the highest proportion that deserves no contemplation.”
Shaibu added, “I, therefore, condemn the rumour in its entirety and urge that the insinuations be disregarded as it has no basis in facts.”
But in a swift riposte via his Facebook page, Eholor said: “What Chief Dan Orbih said is not a rumor. A rumor is what you understand as speculation, what you are not sure of. It was a video, and the reaction that we are getting is that Comrade Philip Shaibu denied that he never gave Governor Godwin Obaseki money is a lie.
“Comrade Philip Shaibu never denied and if truly he denied, then where are the clips to that effect?
“(This is) because on that day Governor Ortom was the chairman of the meeting and the minute was taken and I’m saying it now as Chief Patrick Osagie Eholor, otherwise known as Ultimate Equal, the Political Observer General and One Love Foundation president that:
“If Governor Godwin Obaseki is trying to use his media men to distort the information or to make us look foolish, I’ll challenge Chief Dan Orbih to come out with the minute of that meeting so we can expose the dastardly act of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
“I therefore urge those people challenging this rumor that “what Chief Dan Orbih said is untrue” to be very careful so I don’t cause them more damage because there are facts (Minute and recordings) of the meeting.
“And Comrade Philip Shaibu cannot come out to deny that he never gave Governor Godwin Obaseki $300,000.
“So I’m stating it categorically, putting my activism on the line. Governor Godwin Obaseki should tell his so-called media crew to calm down so we don’t dig more into this matter.
“I’m Chief Dr. Patrick Osagie Eholor President One Love Foundation.”
