The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State governorship election slated for September 21, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, has refuted claims that he has a hand in the impeachment of the former deputy governor, Philip Shaibu.
Shaibu was on April 8 impeached by the state House of Assembly over allegations of perjury and disclosure of government secrets.
The impeached former deputy governor had accused Ighodalo of sponsoring his impeachment at a meeting on Saturday at Ogbonna, the homestead of the PDP Vice Chairman, South-south, Chief Dan Orbih.
Responding to the allegation, Ighodalo who described the allegation as fake, added that the claims was cooked up to tarnish his reputation.
The rebuttal was contained in a statement released by his media team on Monday and made available to Journalists in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
The statement read, “While we would not usually join issues in response to every passing comment, it has become imperative to address the recent spurious allegations by former Deputy Governor Phillip Shaibu.
“It is necessary for the record, to state in no uncertain terms, that Dr. Asue Ighodalo has had no role or involvement in any form whatsoever in the very public process leading to Mr. Shuaibu’s impeachment and subsequent removal from office by the Edo State House of Assembly.
“These claims are completely without merit, and Mr. Ighodalo categorically denies any such involvement. These allegations are a clear attempt to unjustly tarnish his reputation and divert attention from the actual issues at hand.”
He, however, called on the public to disregard the claim, saying, “We urge the public and the media to regard these false statements with well-deserved skepticism.”
Ighodalo said he remained focused on running a governorship campaign based on issues and devoid of distractions.