Philip Shaibu, deputy governor of Edo State has said that Nigeria cannot stay together as a country if the current All Progressives Congress-led federal government is reelected in the 2023 presidential election.
Shaibu made the remarks during his annual breakfast meeting with practising journalists in Edo State.
“We cannot afford to have another four years of what we are having now. The country will not stay together if we don’t change the tide now. And to change the tide, both Federal and state must be able to work in synergy to the extent that things will work for the generality of the public.
“It is no longer the case that this person is closer to me than the other. It is now about our country. If you don’t fix the centre,” he said.
He, however, urged Nigerians to use their Permanent Voters Card (PVC), as a weapon to elect credible leaders that will change the country for the better in the forthcoming 2023 general election.
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He opined that Nigerians needed a federal government that is functional, noting that some states are ready to work but that certain forces are not making the states to work.
“The situation of the country is a major concern for all of us. Sometime, I asked myself why am I in government at this time? And my answer is always because God want me to fix it at this time. But I said that we are trying here in Edo State but what we are doing is being frustrated by certain policies that are not supposed to be.
“That is why we have to struggle more and see how the centre can also be fixed because if you do not fix the centre no matter what you do there is always negative effect that will not make you get to the potential,” he added.
He, however, commended journalists in the state for the balanced reportage of government activities.
Earlier, Osarodion Ogie, Secretary to the State Government, urged journalists to remain professional in their work as they play a vital role in moulding the society.
