Edo Guber: Ize-Iyamu, Airhiavbere, Others Defy Oshiomhole’s Committee

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2020 Edo governorship election, Osagie Ize-Iyamu has picked his expression of interest and nomination forms to contest for the party’s ticket ahead of the September 21 guber polls in the state.

Ize-Iyamu, apparently referring to the decision of the Sen. Adams Oshiomhole backed Committee that pruned down the number of aspirants for the APC governorship from 29 to six, declared that it is only God who anoints leadership and not man.

Oshiomhole, who is the leader of APC in Edo State had constituted a committee chaired by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, to reduce the number of aspirants to a manageable size.

The panel therefore selected six aspirants, two each from the three senatorial districts that constituted the state.

They are Clem Agba and Afolabi Ernest from Edo North; Senator Monday Okpebholo and David Imuse in Edo Central as well as Dennis Idahosa and Lucky Imasuen (Edo South).

Addressing journalists at the APC national secretariat, Abuja yesterday after obtaining the forms for Ize-Iyamu, a group led by Hon. Emmanuel Momoh said the selection of few aspirants by the Oshiomhole backed committee was against the APC Constitution.

“That he (Ize-Iyamu) is not among the anointed, it is only God that anoints. Let me make it clear to every Nigerian, what was done does not reflect in the constitution of the APC. The committee that was set up is not the organ of the APC, there was nothing done, it was an action of one man who is a voter like me.

“No single voter has the right to anoint a candidate, we are all members of APC and we stand on that it is today that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu officially presented himself to the party as an aspirant, an intending candidate of the party, and the process begins today.

“If you look at the calendar of APC, so the issue of somebody been anointed does not hold water, and we want to let you know that he is going ahead with the race and whatever have been done can be considered as a sham and is not inline with the direction of the National Working Committee of the party,” he said.

Another aspirant, Gen. Charles Airhiavbere, who is not among the chosen contenders has also bought the APC forms insisting he would contest on his pedigree, irrespective of anointing.

LEADERSHIP gathered many of the unselected aspirants who had shunned the decision of the Ihonvbere panel and would go into the race for the coveted APC ticket for the Edo guber polls.

Meanwhile, the former chairman of APC in Edo and governorship aspirant, Imuse said the state is bleeding, is in a coma as well as a state of severe haemorrhage and needs to be rescued cum reset.

Imuse, one of the anointed aspirants who state this after purchasing the APC governorship forms said he has come with a paradigm shift from politics of greed, deceit, self emulation, self aggrandisement to a more pragmatic, purposeful and result oriented governance.

“Today is a special day for APC, APC is known to reward hard work, over the last five years Col (Dr.) David Imuse (retd) has been the face of APC in Edo state at the time Obaseki wanted to destroy this party.

“While everybody that wants to be governor today were in comfort of their homes in Abuja, Lagos, London and in America, I just head out, held the bull by the horn, face Obaseki’s bullet and Obaseki forces of coercion, retrieve this party from the face of the valley of death, stabilise it, made it attractive and provided leadership when it was needed most.

“Today I want to take those leadership qualities to Edo and reposition the state. For those of you from Edo state, you know that in the last eight years in spite of our great human and material resources, the government of the state headed by Obaseki have not been able to fulfill the legitimate expectations of our people, Edo have been left to drift.

“Edo is bleeding, Edo is in a coma in a state of severe haemorrhage, the state needed to be rescued, we need to reset Edo state…my purchase of this form is a clear demonstration, to my commitment in resetting Edo state, it is my commitment to rescue our people from the deadly fangs of the political predators and vampires, that presently occupies the state Government House,” he said.