…‘maintain he is not a party member’
… endorse indirect primary option for guber candidate selection
All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairmen in the 18 Local Government Areas (LGA) of Edo State have flayed the endorsement of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the consensus candidate of the APC in the forthcoming governorship primary in the state.
The chairmen, in a statement on Thursday, maintained that Pastor Ize-Iyamu is not a member of the party in the state, as he had left the APC in 2014 to contest the governorship election under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2016, which he lost.
The statement was signed by Hon. Henry Ashofor (Akoko-Edo); Comrade Odion Olaye (Egor); Mr. Mike Anakaso (Esan Central); Hon. Ogbejiele Idogei (Esan North East); Hon. Monday Osoh (Esan South East); Mr. Ehikioya Onaburerkhalen (Esan West); Hon. Zakari Z. Ozizi (Etsako Central); Sir Sunday Adogah (Etsako East); Mrs. Ezolome Rabiat (Etsako West) and Hon. Sylvester Odia (Igueben).
Others are Kelvin O. Egharevba (Ikpoba-Okha); Hon. Godwill Alabi (Oredo); Benjamin Oghumu (Orhionmwon); Hon. Etinosa Ighodaro (Ovia North East); Mr Peter Ajayi (Ovia South West); Zuberu Kasim (Owan East); John Ojeikhoa (Owan West) and Mr. Justin Omoruyi (Uhunmwode).
“We the Local Government Area Party Chairmen of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State wish to inform the general public for the avoidance of doubt that the purported agreement to return Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as a consensus candidate of APC in Edo State is totally false and without foundation.
“Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is not a member of our Party. He led his followers out of the APC in 2014 and even contested the governorship election on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2016 election, which he lost.”
They lampooned the supposed waiver granted the former candidate of the PDP in the 2016 governorship election, noting that not only has he not met the conditions for such a waiver, but whatever he procured was gotten from the wrong body, the National Working Committee (NWC), as it is the National Executive Committee (NEC) that is empowered by the party’s constitution to grant a waiver.
“The purported waiver granted to Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu by the National Working Committee of the Party is ultra vires, null and void, as Article 31 of the Party Constitution confers that power on the National Executive Committee of the party. Besides, the conditions for waiver prescribed by the party’s constitution have not been met.
“The truth is that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu recently joined Edo Peoples Movement (EPM), which is a group organized by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to destabilise APC in Edo State.
“The party has a constitution and the constitution makes provision on how things are done, including registration of new members.”
The 18 LGA chairmen urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to order, adding, “Article 21 of the constitution of our party tells us that factionalisation or creating parallel organs at any level within the party as Comrade Oshiomhole has done in Edo State is an offence against the party”.
They reaffirmed their support for Governor Godwin Obaseki to continue in office for another term, noting, “We expect to actualize this support for the forth coming primary on the 22nd of June, 2020, using the Indirect Mode, in accordance with the resolution of the State Executive Committee duly passed on the 22nd of May 2020 as authorized by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party in August 2018.”
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu emerged the consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) faction believed to be loyal to National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, according to the Nation’s report.
Ize-Iyamu, a former Secretary to Edo State Government (SSG), emerged on Tuesday night in Abuja through consensus arrangement, heightening tension between the warring factions of the party in Edo State.
He is expected to slug it out with Governor Godwin Obaseki for the direct primary of the party slated for June 22.
He was presented by chairman of the screening committee, Senator Francis Alimikhena, the representative of Edo North Senatorial District.
Other members of the screening committee were a former Edo Deputy Governor Lucky Imasuen; Gen. Cecil Esekhaigbe; ex-Edo Speaker Thomas Okosun; former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives Samson Osagie; ex-member of the House of Representatives Patrick Obahiagbon and Deputy Leader of the House of Representatives, Peter Akpatason.
Aside from Ize-Iyamu, who was last week granted waiver to contest by the national leadership of APC, the other screened aspirants were a former Minister of State for Works Chris Ogiemwonyi; ex-Deputy Governor of Edo state, Dr. Pius Odubu and Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (rtd.)
Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, swiftly dismissed reports that the Edo State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) had in a meeting in Abuja chosen a consensus candidate to fly the party’s flag in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.
In a statement following reported Pastor Ize-Iyamu’s emergence, Obaseki’s image maker said the responsibility for selecting the gubernatorial candidate for the party resides with the Edo State chapter of the APC while liaising with relevant national structure of the party, and as such a consensus candidate to flag the party’s flag in the election cannot emerge in Abuja.
“The Edo State chapter of the APC, which is responsible for deploying the inner workings of the party towards the emergence of a candidate of the APC in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, resides and operates in Edo State, not Abuja,” he stated.
He said the charade in Abuja was not surprising as it was hatched and actuated by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and members of his Edo Peoples Movement (EPM), a dissident group of politicians in the state.
“It is, therefore, hilarious to hear that a so-called consensus candidate for the party in Edo State governorship election was selected in Abuja. For us, this is a joke taken too far and clearly shows that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole once again has set the APC on a journey to perdition in Edo State as he did in Zamfara, Bayelsa, Rivers, Taraba and several other states.”
He noted that under Oshiomhole, APC did not lose elections due to unpopularity but as a result of the lawless conduct choreographed by Oshiomhole, which has placed the APC in dire straits one time too many.
“The last time we checked, the timetable released by Oshiomhole’s National Working Committee (NWC) fixed Edo Primary election for 22nd of June,2020 and it is expected to hold in Edo State, but we now hear that they have conducted the primary election three weeks before the set date in a jurisdiction far away from Edo State, making a mockery of our great party, the APC, President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidency and all other institutions and esteemed individuals associated with our party.
“Our conclusion on this matter is that like all other illegal actions taken by Oshiomhole, this too is a nullity and shall come to no-effect,” he noted.
