The State Chairman of the Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dan Orbih has come to the defence of his party’s 2016 Governorship Candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu over the allegation that Ize-Iyamu along with Obih and others committed a crime with the handling of the 2015 PDP Presidential Campaign Fund sent to Edo PDP and for which they are presently being prosecuted by the EFCC at a Federal High Court in Benin City.

Orbih is reported to have explained to a number of his party faithful who had sought his comment over the matter which the very outspoken PDP helmsman had been uncharacteristically quiet despite the adverse negative media narrative sponsored by Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s political adversaries but which had equally disparaged Chief Orbih.

Chief Orbih had explained that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu was naturally a target for media attacks because of his interest in the 2020 Edo State Governorship Election as he had similarly been in 2016 over the same matter.

He said that it was not unusual for political opponents to capitalize on any scandal, real or imagined, to rundown anyone or party considered to be a threat to their interest over a particular matter.

Orbih further stated that the EFCC trial is a witch-hunt because there is ample evidence to disprove the allegation of the EFCC that the N700m in question did not originate from any government fund whereas EFCC insists that it did.

He also said that the manner in which the money was received and distributed for the Party’s 2015 Presidential Election was also transparent enough to absolve the accused of any fraudulent involvement. The Edo PDP State Chairman told his followers that there was nothing unusual or criminal about how the money was given out to the respective local government chairmen of the party for election use.

He said that the APC also distributed money by hand to their agents and wondered why it was that of the PDP that became a crime under the same law and the same country.

On his expectation about the outcome of the EFCC trial, Orbih told his party faithful to relax their nerves because he believes that if the rules of the law are applied and judicial integrity maintained, the case against them would be dismissed for lacking merit.

Meanwhile, Opponents of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who decamped to the APC about four months ago, and is believed to be the favourite to clinch the 2020 Edo APC Governorship Ticket, have sustained the smear campaign against him, twisting the particulars of the trial in a bid to misdirect public perception.

In the first instance, there has been a deliberate distortion of the narrative to make it look like Ize-Iyamu had been involved in stealing money other than being a mere signatory to acknowledge money that was transferred to the Edo State PDP.

Secondly, his opponents have mounted a hype of the regular trial running commentaries to suggest that Ize-Iyamu would be convicted.

Interestingly, the proponents of the smear campaign are chiefly supporters of Governor Godwin Obaseki. The embattled governor has fallen out of favour with the majority of APC leaders and followers in Edo State. These APC leaders and their followers have vowed that Obaseki will never get a return ticket because he had shut out members of the party from his government in the past three years and had reneged on his promise to continue the developmental stride of his predecessor and benefactor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. They are of the opinion that giving Obaseki the Party’s ticket is likely to jeopardize the chances of the APC in the September 19 Governorship Election.

Meanwhile, as Chief Dan Orbih hopes that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, himself and others will ultimately be discharged and acquitted, the attention of everyone remains fixed on the court where the matter is presently tried. With Obaseki and others opposed to Ize-Iyamu contesting the 2020 Governorship Election, having their hope on his being messed up at the trial, a lot of drama is expected in the coming days.

According to sources, the desperate Obaseki supporters have come up with certain options that are intended to interfere with the proceedings in court and the media narrative of the ongoing trial which resumes on March 2.

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