There two qualities, among others, that the close associates of Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki have attributed to him. These are the elements of intellectual laziness and hypocrisy. Sadly, this is in spite of the virtues of intellectuality and honesty, that he is erroneously robe in, particularly by his followers and admirers.

These negative traits have become remarkably obvious since he has been trying hard to consolidate on his Machiavellian onslaught against his erstwhile political benefactors and their associates in his quest for an inordinate second term despite having bitten the fingers that fed him in his rise to the stupendous office of Edo State Governor. This has been very evident in his thoughtless remarks about the state of the APC in Edo State, the status of members and the smear campaign launched against his self made and self proclaimed real and imaginary adversaries within the Edo APC.

Among the persons the governor seeks to exterminate politically, is his former inter-party and now intra-party opponent, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. Incidentally, at both respective times, Ize-Iyamu has proven to be Obaseki's worst nightmare as it concerns becoming governor and returning the second time. In the bid to ward off the Ize-Iyamu threat, the Governor has increasingly appeared in the worst of his elements.

How best indicative of Obaseki's rootedness in the above descriptions could it be than in the latest delivery of his well known message through his arrogant errand boy, the Special Adviser on Communication, Crusoe Osagie. Presenting the message of his ignorant master, Crusoe Osagie stated that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who had spoken against Governor Obaseki's hounding of the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and other APC stakeholders in Edo State, does not have the right to speak on issues pertaining to the Party because he is not a member of the APC and that also, he is yet to clear his name from the EFCC prosecuted N700m 2015 PDP Presidential Campaign Fund case. There is no need recalling here the well known details of the case which will soon be resolved but to say that all indices point to the fact that it is a case waiting to be thrown out of court.

Meanwhile, saying that Ize-Iyamu is not a member of the APC, and thus could not comment on the issues of the Party, reveals a two-pronged ignorance which largely subsists on intellectual laziness. Since Ize-Iyamu with his thousands of supporters rejoined the APC, Obaseki has claimed that the highly revered politician and one of the founding members of the party has not properly joined the party. This smacks of part ignorance and part hypocrisy. It is apparent that the Governor, despite advice, is yet to read the APC Constitution and fully come to terms with the rules and regulations of the Party, among which is the manner by which a person becomes a member of the APC - a condition which Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has fulfilled.

Becoming a member of the APC is one of the simplest things in the world. Even as one is reading this article, hundreds and thousands of people are joining the Party all over Nigeria, including Edo State where the Governor claims to be the leader. You become a member of the APC by going to your political ward to register with the ward chairman. Insofar as you are not a member of any other political party as at the time of registration, you are as good a member as any other person. Ize-Iyamu and his followers have done that. This was even attested with the membership card he was duly issued, and which he displayed on the day he and his followers were formally received into the APC by the State Chairman, Col. David Imuse (rtd) and other high ranking officials of the party in Benin City.

The statement that the Governor is not aware of Ize-Iyamu's membership of the APC, is not only hollow but smacks of hypocrisy. This is against the backdrop of another statement made by the Governor when he addressed a gathering of some members of the party in Edo Central a few days ago. At the gathering, the Governor had stated that some friends have been coming to meet him in Government House to tell him that they wanted to become members of the party but that he had always told them that the only way of joining the party was by going to their wards to register and that they cannot become members through him or at Government House. If this be the case, why does he insist that Ize-Iyamu is not a member because he, the Governor is not aware? He does not have to be aware, anyway, especially as he is not a member or an official of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu's ward. Ize-Iyamu telling him he had joined the party is sufficient courtesy which the Governor ought to have honestly acknowledged and reciprocated.

Meanwhile, knowing how desperate the Governor is, it would not be strange to discover that the APC party registers have been seized, destroyed or tampered with to erase the evidence of Ize-Iyamu and his followers' inclusion. The bad news for the Governor though, is that by virtue of the Constitution of the APC, the National Chairman has the exclusive right to validate the membership of anybody who may be having problem with registering with the Party in his ward. This could be one of the reasons why Obaseki wants to force Oshiomhole out of office by all means and at all costs.

It is the height of hypocrisy for the Governor, through his Special Adviser, Crusoe Osagie to attempt to whip up sentiments with the inherently baseless EFCC trial of Ize-Iyamu and others, including the State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, by falsifying and hyping it’s narrative. Yes, it is sheer hypocrisy that the Governor would tread this route of cheap blackmail and smear campaign when he has an unexplained baggage of substantial weight resting on his head. The issue is the continued detention in an Italian jail, of Obaseki's favourite aide and Commissioner of Arts and Culture, Osaze Osemwengie-Ero for a matter related to money laundering. It is alleged that the sum of $2m cash was found on Obaseki's Commissioner while he was on a trip with the Governor in Europe. As we speak, close to four months after Osemwengie-Ero's arrest and detention, Governor Godwin Obaseki is yet to make an official statement to clear the air despite the speculation that the money found in the possession of the Edo State Commissioner, by the time of his arrest, was Edo State money being unofficially ferried to a haven somewhere in Europe on behalf of the Governor. Therefore, is the Governor's stoking of fire around Ize-Iyamu's witch-hunt trial not a matter of someone pointing at the speck in another's eye while he is indifferent to the log in his own?

Finally, against the background of this revelation, Edo people must discountenance the Governor's spirited attack against the person of Ize-Iyamu, who has been found unblemished despite having served in the tempting offices of Chief of Staff to Edo State Governor and Secretary to Edo State Government, respectively, for eight years. Also, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu's followers, supporters, admirers and the general public should be rest assured that Ize-Iyamu is not only a bonafide member of the APC, competent to speak on all issues related to the party, he is also privileged and qualified to seek the office of the Governor of Edo State on the platform of the ruling party, which, incidentally, is a child of his dream, and no one, including Godwin Obaseki can stop him.

Hmm

Why has Ize-iyamu left the Pdp under which he contested then? If you are not popular in party A you can't be otherwise in party B. Shameless people!

FYI, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu was among the individuals that built APC.