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A faction, reportedly loyal to former governor and national chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole, has picked Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as its consensus candidate for the September governorship election in Edo State.
Ize-Iyamu, a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2016 before defecting to the APC in December 2019, emerged the consensus candidate of the pro-Oshiomhole faction, after a meeting with other aspirants and some party chieftains in Abuja on Tuesday night.
Following that, the lawyer and former Secretary to Edo State Government (SSG), on Wednesday, at the party’s national secretariat, picked the expression of interest and nomination forms.
He was accompanied by some of the governorship aspirants, to include, Prof. Ebegue Amadasun; Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (rtd.); Chris Ogiemwonyi, an engineer; Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma and Saturday Uwuilekhue, as well as other leaders of APC, who demonstrated their resolve and commitment to work together for Ize-Iyamu to emerge as the party’s standard bearer.
According to an online statement by his campaign organisation, signed by the Director of Communication and Media, John Mayaki, Ize-Iyamu described his purchase of the expression of interest and nomination forms as another stride in the quest to move the state forward.
“By obtaining the forms today, we have formally placed our name on the party’s ballot for our internal primary next month (June 22). It is another great stride and we are thankful to the other aspirants who have joined us here today (yesterday) to offer support,” he said.
“There have been efforts to cause disunity in our party and pitch people against one another by those who have sadly embraced politics without principles and are openly rebelling against the leadership of our party, because they believe they have absolute powers. It is clear from today’s (Wednesday’s) event that Edo State APC is united and these deviants may have a loud voice, but they do not represent the majority.
“Everyone here may have personal ambitions, but we are bound together by the common desire to fast-track the transformation of our state, through transparent, effective and accountable governance that will improve the living standard and social well-being of our people. We all recognise that this cannot happen, unless we dislodge the present administration that has failed this great party and the people of Edo State.
“An accepted truth is that Edo State needs a government that is alert, proactive and prompt. Not the one that has scant regard for the rule of law and seeks to gain an unfair and undemocratic advantage through the manipulation of serious matters of public health.”
Among the screening committee where Ize-Iyamu obtained his expression of interest and nomination form were; a former Edo Deputy Governor, Lucky Imasuen; Gen. Cecil Esekhaigbe; ex-Speaker of Edo House of Assembly, Thomas Okosun; former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Samson Osagie; ex-member of the House of Representatives, Patrick Obahiagbon; the current Deputy Leader of the House of Representatives, Peter Akpatason and the committee chairman, Senator Francis Alimikhena, the representative of Edo North Senatorial District.
Other screened aspirants besides the consensus candidate were; a former Minister of State for Works (Ogiemwonyi), who immediately congratulated the winner; ex-Deputy Governor of Edo state, Dr. Pius Odubu; and Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (rtd.), while Chief Solomon Edebiri withdrew on Tuesday morning.
A chieftain of APC who was at the screening, told The Nation in confidence through the telephone on Wednesday, the former SSG (Ize-Iyamu) was considered as the consensus candidate in view of his popularity and having teeming supporters across the three senatorial districts of Edo state.
The source added that Ize-Iyamu’s impressive performance during the 2016 governorship election, as the candidate of the main opposition PDP, whom a chieftain of APC, Tony Kabaka, whose highbrow hotel in Benin was recently demolished by Governor Godwin Obaseki of the same APC, declared that he (Ize-Iyamu) actually won the crucial election, but Obaseki was declared winner through “abracadabra.”
The Edo APC governorship primary election is slated for June 22 while the governorship election itself has been scheduled to hold on the 19th of September.
