*Pastor Ize-Iyamu to complete Benin Storm Water project*

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, easily the preferred candidate by Edo people to win the State governorship election, according to opinion polls, says that his government will review the Benin Storm Water Project and complete it within a reasonable period when he takes office as Governor of Edo state.

He also says that erosion reclamation projects across the state will be tackled to completion while all outstanding obligations to World Bank and other relevant agencies will be honoured.

The APC candidate speaking about the infrastructural development and urban renewal component of his manifesto, the Simple Agenda, in Benin City said that his government's emphasis will be the reconstruction and rehabilitation of existing road networks with a view to bring the various communities back to life and improve environmental sanitation, public health and security of lives and properties.

He said, "all on-going projects will be completed to ensure value for taxpayers’ money", while the rehabilitation of roads, particularly in the Local Government Councils shall be a policy directive to Council Chairmen and in conjunction with the State Government.

Pastor Ize-Iyamu added, "in specific terms, adequate funding will be extended to roads and drains within the local government areas. We will deploy both primary and secondary drains that will properly channel floodwaters".

He said communities across the state shall also be encouraged to embark on self-help projects to which the LGAs and the state government shall contribute meaningfully.

The APC candidate also spoke of his coming government's deliberate plan to create new towns and settlements around Benin City, the building of a second bridge to link Upper St. Saviour and Ikpoba Hill as well as the extension of the Airport Road across the bridge to Evbuodia-Utagba Village to join Ekenwan Barrack road by Ojemai farms.

And as part of efforts to allow motorists have a new experience and open up several communities to boost socio-economic integration between Edo North and Edo Central, Pastor Ize-Iyamu said the road traversing Auchi Polytechnic gate in South Ibie to Ekperi and Anegbette will be continued to Ugboha and Uromi.

While promising to, "construct some overhead Bridges in strategic locations across the state to decongest and ease traffic flow", he said part of his government's agreement with construction firms will be that they locate their plants and equipments in each senatorial district and, "draw their labour (skilled and unskilled) from host communities.

Meanwhile, Pastor Ize-Iyamu has said that an Edo State Road Maintenance Agency with full complements of earth moving equipment will be established to carry out regular maintenance of all the roads when he assumes office.

#EdoforAPC
#PastorOsagieIzeIyamu2020
#TheSimpleAgenda
#ManifestoOfHope
#EdoMustMoveForward
#POIGANI

Group urges ICPC to investigate Obaseki, others

A group, the Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa, has urged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate Governor Godwin Obaseki, Afrinvest Ltd and Primus Bank for alleged corruption.

The organisation, on Tuesday through its Deputy National Chairman, Jude Gadimoh, at a news conference in Benin, accused Obaseki of abusing his office by awarding inflated contracts running into billions of naira to his firm, Afrinvest Ltd, without following due process.

It alleged: “On July 4, we were shocked, like all Edo State indigenes, to read the petition by members of Obaseki’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ICPC against the governor over his corrupt relationship with the firm (Afrinvest Limited) he founded and he was chairman of its Board of Directors, before he was elected governor, and Primus Bank.

“Obaseki has been stashing Edo State’s funds in Afrinvest Ltd, which formed the starting capital for the establishment of the regional bank, with the name Primus Bank. The governor, acting through his proxies, has requested approval for the operation of Primus Bank at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“Obaseki, whose commissioner was nabbed in overseas for possessing an unexplained $2 million, and remains in detention for money laundering, should explain the sources of funds in Afrinvest Ltd and Primus Bank.

“We demand immediate commencement of investigation into the allegations levelled by the petitioners against Obaseki, in order to serve justice to the people of Edo State, who have suffered double jeopardy of an incompetent and manically-corrupt governor.”

The coalition demanded a full audit of the earnings of Afrinvest Ltd between 2016 and now, by a competent third-party auditing firm, with the report to be submitted to the ICPC to support its investigation into the petition filed against Obaseki.

Rejected by Auchi, Obaseki’s PDP fuels religious tension in Edo

Divisive agents loyal to the Obaseki-led People’s Democratic Party in Edo State have sought to fabricate a most odious and polarizing narrative, to wit that the recent honorary Itsemakohna title, meaning ‘this is our own’ conferred on Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu by the Otaru of Auchi, Alhaji Aliru Momoh, Ikelebe III, is a slap on Christians and an attempt to introduce RUGA to Edo State.

This irresponsible and criminally childish narrative must be discountenanced as either the ignorant narrative of elements who know nothing about the cultural diversity in Edo State, or the tommyrot of artless mischief-makers. To set the record straight, the following are important to note.

Auchi, which is in the northern part of Edo state, popularly called the Afemai or Afenmai region is a predominantly Muslim area under the traditional leadership of the Otaru of Auchi, Alhaji Aliru Momoh, Ikelebe III. This fact has been respected by the people of Edo for a long time, and the state has been able to live in harmony despite these religious differences due to this mutual respect.

The conferment of the Itsemakohna title on Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, as explained by the candidate himself, was a mark of honor indicative of his level of acceptance in all parts of Edo State. His personal religion and position as a Pastor are not unknown to the Otaru who, indeed, refers and regards him as a Christian and ordained man of God.

The symbolic turbaning is not a religious ceremony, but a cultural one to show clearly that the people of Auchi no longer want Governor Obaseki and have embraced the APC candidate. There are many reasons for the rejection of the embattled Governor, part of which includes his flagrant disrespect for tradition and well-known divisive tendencies, a fact which he and his party have now corroborated with the evil insinuations they introduced to the event, seeking to stoke religious tension in Edo State.

The governor’s disrespect for tradition was apparent when he visited the palace of the Oba of Benin without the customary kolanut he should have carried and met a cold reception. His opponent, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, a more urbane and culturally conscious man, carried the kolanut on his visit and was met by a full regiment of powerful Benin chiefs who greeted him affectionately.

Edo has been able to steer clear of the religious tension that the rejected PDP is trying to engender because other Governors and administrators before the sad emergence of Godwin Obaseki understood the plurality of the State like most Nigerian societies, and pursued peace and unity, not actively stoke tension with poor propaganda on the account of mindless politics.

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu does not discriminate against people because of their religious beliefs. The faith he professes and teaches, as exemplified and instructed by Jesus Christ in the New Testament, kicks against divisive actions and preaches peaceful harmony.

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s honorary title by the Otaru, an Islamic traditional ruler, is a powerful attestation to his ability to preside over the affairs of the state and its diverse people with the maturity, sensitivity, and fairness required to achieve social harmony and development.

On the contrary, by seeking to add mischievous interpretations to the event, the PDP and its new leader, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, continue to burnish their reputation as an irresponsible party unfit for leadership at any level, not much as Governor of a diverse state where everyone must be treated with respect, irrespective of leaning and religious beliefs.

Perhaps the PDP, hardened publicans by their own confessions, need to dine at the table of the hospitable pastor. He treats all men with equal respect.

*Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu's Leadership By Example Agenda: A Vehicle For A Corruption Free administration*

*By Pius Alile*

Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu's leadership by example Agenda is based on true governance principles of transparency, accountability and responsibilities in transacting the businesses of govt.

It denotes the use of due process, with emphasis on technology - enabled e-governance as
a process of eliminating incidences of institutional corruption inherent in the system. This process should aid the modification of tax collection and tax regime in its entirety.

This transparency regime of Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu should be able to curb wastages and leakages that currently bedevilled govt institutions and system across the state.

Some of these leakages include: the presence of ghost workers in the public sectors, unnecessary expenditure by govt functionaries, financial recklessness, embezzlement of public funds and receipts of kick backs in the transaction of govt businesses. Lack of due process and flagrant violation of procurement acts in the tendering and award of govt contracts.

It is imperative to note that having the wrong set of people in positions of authorities cannot drive the process of transparent and accountable governance.

Appointments based on favouritism without recourse to competence, experience, qualification and capacity can stunt the process of delivering good and acceptable leadership to the public.

It is govt officials both the appointees and public sectors workers that should drive the Simple Agenda vision. They are the drivers of leadership by example vision of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

Those with historical antecedents of corruption must be excused so as to avoid questionable perceptions credibility issues.

Leadership by example must also be based on inclusive system of governance followed by regular public consultation by listening to public opinions, views and suggestions.

The suggested use of " Edo Policy Exchange" and Town Hall meetings to engage, consult and elicit innovative ideas so as to move Edo state forward remains a hallmark of modern and acceptable way of providing effective leadership.

Leadership by example must be based on tolerance of divergent views. Some criticism should be accepted as a vehicle for policy change and modifications.
It should also be seen as part of inclusiveness in governance.

Pastor osagie Ize-Iyamu's leadership by example Agenda has given impetus to responsive governance and an insight into the style of future leadership of the incoming govt led by Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. His leadership by example vision is a vehicle for moving Edo state forward.

*Hon Pius Alile is the director of strategy and a member of Media Team Edo state APC campaign council*

*The Simple Agenda: Manifesto Of Hope*

- In-Service Training

• Our government will invest in ICT skills training and capacity up-skilling of all government staff to the International Computer Driving License Standards (ICDLS).

• Our government would actively encourage private sector businesses and industries to likewise invest in up-skilling their staff ICT skills and capacity, which will enable them to maximize accrued advantages in this digital age.

• Our government will encourage applied industrial development and cutting edge technology research. We will encourage industries to build partnerships with our tertiary institutions.

#TheSimpleAgenda
#EdoMustMoveForward
#PastorOsagieIzeIyamu
#ManifestoOfHope

Edo 2020: Oba of Benin blesses Ize-Iyamu, calls for peaceful campaigns

… hails Buhari for administrative successes, warm reception

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, offered royal blessings to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the Edo Governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, on Saturday during a courtesy visit to the palace of the monarch before the party kicked off its campaign flag-off.

The Governorship candidate was accompanied by a delegation of the All Progressives Congress led by the Chairman of its National Working Committee and the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, as well as other Governors and leaders of the party including, its former National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Governor Umar Ganduje of Kano State, Governor Babajide Sanwoolu of Lagos State, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, and Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State amongst others.

While receiving them, the Oba emphasized the importance of prayers and called for a peaceful, rancor-free election.

He said the Palace remains a father to all and will support the choice of the people at the polls.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who endorsed Ize-Iyamu on Friday and presented him the party’s flag as its candidate in the election, also received praises from the Oba over the successes of his administration.

Unlike his opponent, Governor Obaseki, who failed to receive blessings at the Palace when he visited because he forgot the traditional kola nut and gin, an incident which led to the sack of his protocol officer, Ize-Iyamu received the blessings of the Palace and the ancient throne of Benin in a ceremony conducted by the Iyase of Benin Kingdom.

Speaking on behalf of the APC delegation, Governor Mai Mala Buni, said the visit was to present the Edo 2020 APC governorship candidate to the royal majesty for his blessings, which he successfully received. He expressed optimism that the APC will reclaim Edo State on the 19th of September.

https://pastorosagieizeiyamu.com/edo-2020-oba-of-benin-blesses-ize-iyamu-calls-for-peaceful-campaigns-hails-buhari-for-administrative-successes-warm-reception/

*Edo Assembly invasion: Police nab 7 pro-Obaseki thugs with firearms*

*…thugs confess they were mobilized by Adjoto, Osaigbovo Iyoha*

*…group demands immediate prosecution*


The Edo State Police Command has arrested seven pro-Obaseki thugs involved in the siege laid at the Edo Assembly complex on Thursday to prevent the majority of elected members, who have since impeached the former Speaker and replaced him with Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror, from sitting in the complex.

The arrest was made yesterday when the Police responded to an emergency call from 17 elected members of the Edo Assembly who came under attack by thugs reportedly directed by the Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to prevent plenary from holding at the Complex.

The thugs identified as Festus Agbonrenren (25 years), Odion Osayande (23 years), Ogbeiwe Wilfred (52 years), Morgan Uwaigboe (47 years), Osayomore Salami (25 years), Ifeoluwa Oladele (36 years), and Iginobaro Collins (26 years) were arrested with five double-barrel long guns, two single barrel long guns, and ten live cartridges within the premises of the Assembly complex.

Sources have confirmed that the arrested thugs have all confessed that they were mobilized by the Special Adviser to Governor Obaseki on Political Matters, Edo South, Mr. Osaigbovo Iyoha, and his Special Adviser on Parliamentary Issues, Mr. Kabiru Adjoto.

Governor Obaseki made an appearance at the Assembly Complex on Thursday to offer a robust defense of the actions of the thugs and the destruction of parts of the Assembly complex under the guise of ‘renovation’, although he failed to answer questions from journalists who sought an explanation on how an Assembly of 24 elected members could be formed and presided over by 7 lawmakers purportedly loyal to the Governor.

Meanwhile, an activist group in Edo State, Democracy For All, has condemned the actions of the Governor and demanded an immediate prosecution of the arrested thugs and their sponsors.

In a statement released on Friday morning, the group denounced the invasion of the Assembly Complex as an ‘egregious crime and affront on the constitution and the rule of law’, insisting that the arrested thugs, who have confessed their ties to the Edo State Governor, must be made to face the wrath of the law alongside their accomplice no matter how highly-placed.

Its statement read in part: “It is a shame that in Edo State today that we have a Governor who is insisting that a House of 24 members should be led and constituted only by 7 members. And to sustain this illegality, he has turned to violence, vandalism, and dark politics.”

“While we thought our democracy has evolved and left certain ugly trends behind, Governor Godwin Obaseki, by his actions on Thursday, set us back many years with his flagrant abuse of office, violation of the integrity and expected character of his esteemed position, and the promotion of violence and illegality.”

“Our first demand goes to the Police and it is to immediately commence processes for the prosecution of the arrested thugs and their direct sponsors, Mr. Osaigbovo Iyoha and Mr. Kabiru Adjoto.”

“Their prosecution will signal to the world that Nigeria is neither home to criminality nor a jungle where appointees of government can break the law at will and threaten law and order through the sponsorship of thuggery, violence, and unfortunate contribution to arms proliferation.”

We don't control the Police, explain Edo Assembly tussle to the world – APC tells Obaseki

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Media Campaign Council for the Edo Governorship election has rubbished claims by the Edo State Government that its leadership "ferried Police from Abuja" to block the Edo Assembly complex, stating that the APC, as a political party, does not control the Police.

In a statement released Thursday morning by Mr. John Mayaki, the Chairman of the State Media Campaign Council, the APC accused the Edo State Government of carrying out several onslaughts against the constitutional independence of the legislative arm of government by attacking its members-elect and denying them representation.

He insisted that the Governor, who is responsible for numerous other sieges on the Assembly complex, is in the best position to tell the world who is behind the Police blockade on the Assembly.

He said: "It is a known fact that the outgoing Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has treated the House of Assembly, an independent and co-equal branch of government, as a mere extension of his office through the brutalization of members-elect and the denial of representation to the majority of members."

"In Gestapo style, the outgoing Governor hijacked a tiny minority and purportedly inaugurated them in the dead of the night. The sham inauguration was condemned and set aside by both arms of the National Assembly after their separate investigations revealed that the members, and indeed the Clerk, were forced to participate in the illegality under threat to life."

"With these criminal antecedents, we believe if there is any unwholesome activity ongoing at the Assembly Complex, it is Mr. Godwin Obaseki who is in the best position to explain to the world what is going on and why."

"Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, or the APC, does not control the Police. When Obaseki went to obtain a questionable court order challenging the position of Comrade as the APC National Chairman months back, he was locked out of the National HQ of the party in Abuja. If indeed he has any control over the Police, wouldn't he have instructed them to leave and grant him entry?"

"The Edo State Government should explain to the world and Edo people what is going on. And they can start by explaining why a branch of government meant to carry out oversight functions and check the excesses of the Executive arm has been holding plenary inside the Government House for months over a supposed 'fumigation and renovation exercise' at the Assembly Complex'."

*EDO NORTH COUNCIL OF IMAMS ENDORSE PASTOR OSAGIE IZE IYAMU AND MALLAM GANI AUDU*
-By Comrade Abdulsalam
5/08/2020

The Edo North Council of Imams yesterday, 4th of August, 2020 held a meeting in Auchi, Etsako West, Edo State, where they announced their total support for the APC gubernatorial candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu and his Deputy Mallam Gani Audu.

The Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Edo State who doubles as Chairman, Muslim Support Committee, Edo Apc Campaign Council Sheikh (Prince) Suleiman Momoh in his welcome address stated the resolve of the Imams in Edo North to support the POI/GANI project.

He added that they were grateful to Allah for this Favour in the person of Mallam Gani Audu.

The Wife of the Deputy Gubernatorial Candidate, Hajia Nana Gani Audu in her remarks added that ,"my husband and I are overwhelmed with the support and prayers we are getting from the Muslim community in Edo State and that alone is a big motivation for us".

Alhaji Yakubu Musa aka Yakson also expressed readiness of the Muslims to vote the duo of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu & Mallam Gani Audu come September 19.

The Secretary of Muslim Support Committee, Edo Apc Campaign council, Comr Abdulsallam Muhammad who was also at the meeting, gave gratitude to Allah over the emergence of a Muslim Christian ticket, a project he said the Muslims have longed for since the inception of democracy in 1999. According to him, Edo state has never produced a Muslim deputy governor over the years of democracy in the state, and that this is an ample opportunity for the Muslims to actualize that goal, hence the need for the Muslims to come out en masse to support & vote their brother in faith, Mallam Gani Audu, who is not only a Muslim but a devoted Mallam.

The meeting also had in attendance, the Chairman of the Imam council, Alhaji Musa Zekeriyya, Alhaji Suleiman Ukashat and other eminent Muslim personalities in Edo North.

*The Simple Agenda: The Manifesto of Hope*

I: INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT & URBAN RENEWAL

The main objective of the infrastructural development and urban renewal programme will be to bequeath to the state, physical structures and facilities that will promote decent living standards for our people.

Our integrated approach to development will be stepped-up in every area from modern Information Technology infrastructure to new ways of building public works systems. This would be accompanied with cost and resource effectiveness to eliminate wastages, promote skills development and bequeath a state-of-the-art infrastructure that future generations will utilize and be proud of.

1) Roads and Drains
Our goal is to have all major roads and streets within Benin City and all local government headquarters asphalted and in most cases, with accompanying walkways, drains and street lights, in an unprecedented urban renewal scheme that will be embarked upon.

• Emphasis will be placed on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of existing road networks with a view to bringing the various communities back to life and improving environmental sanitation, public health and security of life and property.

#TheSimpleAgenda
#EdoMustMoveForward
#PastorOsagieIzeIyamu
#Edo2020
#ManifestoOfHope

*The Simple Agenda: The Manifesto of Hope*


*_Environmental Health and Sanitation_*


Edo state presently has less than 10% forest cover which is some way off the United Nations recommendation of at least 25%.


• We will leverage on the opportunity made available by the United Nations and the World Bank to gain enough carbon credit through carbon sequestration by planting more trees.

This will not only ensure a healthier environment, but would also bestow additional source of revenue for the state.

• We shall enact a comprehensive environmental management policy and ensure strict compliance.

• We will ensure that every person in Edo State is encouraged to plant at least 5 trees a year, which comes to over 10 million trees annually.

Furthermore, we will ensure that our waste management is handled in a more professional and efficient manner by emphasizing re-cycling and re-use.

• Edo State government presently has three (3) functional compactor trucks. This is grossly inadequate even for the state capital. More trucks will be procured and reputable waste managers engaged to keep the state clean.

• A sustainable and scientific waste management system, which would include the use of engineering dump site, that prevents the pollution of underground water shall be employed.



*_#TheSimpleAgenda_*
*_#EdoMustMoveForward_*
*_#PastorOsagieIzeIyamu_*
*_#ManifestoOfHope_*

NBA Election: Ize-Iyamu congratulates Olumide Akpata

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the Sept. 19 Edo Governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has congratulated newly-elected Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata.

The Edo-born Olumide Akpata polled over 9000 votes to defeat his two rivals Babatunde Ajibade (SAN) and Dele Adesina (SAN), breaking a 30-year jinx as the first non-senior advocate to emerge as the NBA President since Charles Idehen last did in 1989.

In a congratulatory message released on Sunday by Mr. John Mayaki, the Chairman of the Edo APC Media Campaign Council, Ize-Iyamu praised Olumide Akpata as an amazing lawyer and outstanding person with the qualities to preserve the integrity of the bar and restore the reputation of the legal profession in Nigeria.

He said: “I am happy for Olumide Akpata who, over the years, has been a brilliant lawyer and outstanding human being. Now, summing a brilliant career so far, Olumide emerges the President of the Nigerian Bar Association.”

“His remarkable campaign and ability to rally the majority behind him speak volumes of his proficiency, one that, under his leadership, is bound to take the NBA to unprecedented heights.”

“The National Bar Association has indeed found a magical gem in you, and as a lawyer myself, one who followed you for a certain period of time as you practiced with utmost ethical conduct and imitable professionalism, I am confident that you will preserve the integrity and restore the almost divine reputation of the legal profession in Nigeria.”


https://pastorosagieizeiyamu.com/nba-election-ize-iyamu-congratulates-olumide-akpata/

EDO 2020:  It’s my time to govern Edo — Ize-Iyamu

•How I ‘ll restore Edo’s lost glory

•Oshiomhole abused me in 2016 because he had a bad product to market

By Mike Ebonugwo & Clifford Ndujihe

Edo State Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, took his quest for the Edo top job to
Lagos, last week, and told reporters that he would not allow political opponents distract him as they did in 2016. Ize-Iyamu, who had earlier granted an interview to Vanguard, said with his SIMPLE Agenda, he will transform Edo, if elected

Q.) On the belief that some loyalists of Governor Godwin Obaseki, who did not defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with him, might play the role of moles in APC during the election

A.) Yes, we know that there are moles within the party but I want to assure you that we will deal with that. I will not elaborate on our plan to deal with that, but we will deal with it.

Q.) On rising tension in Edo and how violence can be averted before, during and after the poll

A.) We have said that we want this election to be issue-based. We don’t even want to resort to name-calling, let us focus on our agenda. I can assure you that we as party will do everything possible to avoid violence during the election and we hope that the other parties, especially the PDP will do the same because of what is already playing out.

They have campaign billboards and posters across the state; in fact they started erecting such billboards before us but we approached the agency of government in-charge and asked about available spaces and the cost.

They told us and we paid only to find out that a top official of the government said ‘how can APC be allowed to have campaign billboards at strategic locations?’

The next thing that happened was that they began to remove our campaign billboards. We have petitioned the commissioner of Police in Edo State and the state Director of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Our campaign organization also addressed a press conference, where it made it clear that the PDP must be accommodating and tolerant as well as avoid anything that will trigger violence. We could have taken the law into our hands but we didn’t do that. From that time till now, they have not mentioned that one of their billboards was destroyed by our supporters.

So, I am assuring you that there will be no violence during the election as we will do our best and will cooperate with the security agents to make sure that the election is peaceful.

Q.) Have you been able to address those factors that worked against you in the 2016 governorship election?

A.) If you had followed that election, you would have found out that despite the fact that I was coming from an opposition party in the state at that time, it was not easy for the ruling party. They had to postpone the election a day to it and brought it back after 18 days and when the result started coming out and I was leading, you saw the drama that ensued and announcement of the results had to be stopped.

By the time they came back, the whole thing had changed. But, when the Supreme Court says a particular person won, you don’t have to argue. However, I can assure you that everything that happened then have been addressed and this time is our time.

Q.) Former Governor Adams Oshiomhole said all sort of things about you during the last election, but you are working with him now. How do you react to that?

A.) Yes, Oshiomhole threw punches at me in 2016, but people tend to have short memory. Oshiomole was at Benson Idahosa University, when I was being given a doctorate and he spent over one hour praising me for my contributions in his government and the role I am playing in the state.

Oshiomhole also came to my farm at one time, when I was graduating students and he listed the roles I was playing in the state. At my 50th birthday, there was no word he didn’t use to describe me including the fact that if he wants to mention those, who have helped him to succeed in government, there is no way my name will not be there.

So, if during the campaigns for the 2016 governorship election he was abusing me because I was on the other side, what do you expect?

Of course, he needed to abuse me, especially when he didn’t have a good product. You can imagine how Governor Obaseki started his campaign for the forthcoming election. They placed a big screen on Ring road in Benin, where everybody passes and one would have thought that all he would be playing on that kind of screen are achievements of his administration in the last four years. Instead of that, he is playing about the governor of Kano State.

It was when condemnation came from within and outside Nigeria that they had to stop it. What has the governor of Kano State got to do with the governorship election in Edo State apart from being the chairman of APC National Campaign Council? I am sure that those who had gone through campaigns before will tell you that people will call their opponents all sorts of names during electioneering campaigns, but if you allow those things to bother you, they will distract you.

In fact, I confessed somewhere that they succeeded four years because I had my SIMPLE Agenda but I didn’t talk about it as I spent all the time replying their insults. Everyone knew that I had the SIMPLE Agenda but I didn’t talk about what I had, which they never had. This time I will not allow myself to be distracted; I will tell Edo people about my SIMPLE Agenda.

Q.) Are you going do to limit yourself to just one term in office if you win the election giving the clamour of Edo Central, which has never produced governor or deputy to produce the governor in 2024?

A.) When you are elected; are you elected to serve for two terms? You serve one term at a time and one term is four years, not eight years. So, in terms of planning, don’t leave any of your projects to run for an eight-year period or 20 year-period.

If you want people to appreciate what you are doing or you want your agenda to be measurable and achievable, let it be within the period of your tenure. So, when I say four years, I am clearly conscious of the number of years a tenure is. Again, we are not God and nobody knows who will be alive tomorrow and death is not determined by age or position. So, why don’t we talk about what is on ground and leave the future to God?

Q.) What is your take on security votes and are you going to stop it?

A.) I won’t say that I will stop security votes because what is important is what you use it for. I can’t make security a cardinal part of my agenda and there are no security votes; it is ridiculous.

How do you handle security matters without financial votes? But the money you put in will determine or reflect the seriousness you attach to that area. So, for me, part of the security votes apart from going to the security agencies should also go to vigilance groups.

They should not be working for gratis. How can communities raise people, who are guarding farmlands and rural roads and government will not send them anything as support?

Today, all the forests in Edo State have been taken over by criminals. If security votes were well managed by the present administration in the state, those forests would have been cleaned out. So, let use security votes judiciously and not see it as money for the governor.

Q.) On whether his jumping from APC to PDP, and back to APC in four years is stable and won’t affect his chances

It is not a question of instability. It is a question of being consistent with your goals and objectives. I have never hidden the fact that I am in politics to access government for the benefit of my people. And so if you find yourself in a political party that is not interested in winning election or that does not take seriously the issue of winning, of course a tree does not make a forest, you alone cannot do it. It will mean that you will have to have a rethink. When I left APC to join the PDP, of course we were angry with the way certain things were going on. The congresses then (party congresses) were being manipulated against many of our associates and we were not happy about it and we felt that there was a conspiracy of sort against us and it was better to move elsewhere. It was not because we felt that the APC manifesto or vision was not compatible with our own dreams. And since we left, a lot of people talked to us to return. We have done so much to see how we could revamp the PDP but we just realised that we were in the midst of strange bed fellows. Most of the people there did not share in our dreams and visions, so we met and discussed it. We came to a conclusion that it will be a lot better if we returned to the APC. No matter what you will say, the APC is quite purposeful, especially in terms of being in government; they take it seriously. We believe that whatever impact we want to make in the political arena can only be achieved when we get to government.

Q.) It has been rumoured that the main reason you joined the APC is to have the ticket for this year’s election. How true is this?

A.) You must know that as human beings we have ambitions; but again, they say man proposes, God disposes. Any man who is wise will look at all the options available to him. In coming back to the APC, we came with an open mind. Open mind number one: you can’t run away from the fact that there is already a governor who is from the APC and who of course will desire a second term. So, we came in knowing that there could be a consensus in this direction, it was possible. No matter the difference that was brewing, it was possible that reconciliation could come and the governor could get a consensus affirmation. If that happened, we were not going to take a walk and leave the party. So that option was available to us. We knew that it was there and we told ourselves if that happens it simply means that we would ensure that we push for areas to be considered in the developmental plans of the governor as a condition for supporting and making his election easy, that was one. Another option was that the party in its wisdom could choose a new person. And again, if that happened, were we going to walk away? No! We said the important thing is that we are in a party that would be in government and we would use our presence there to ensure that we are able to push for development for our people and our constituents, and that again was an option. And there was a third option that said look Pastor you were in this party before, you are one of the founders of this party. It is also possible that some of those who have been urging you to return and all your old friends there might say, look Pastor, why don’t you run for governorship. I said if that is also possible, why not? It will give us the opportunity to implement our SIMPLE AGENDA which we believe is all encompassing and something that is a veritable roadmap for the development of our state.

So those options were there. It is not as if one went with one mindset, it would have been foolish to just say you are going there only for governorship.

Assuming it doesn’t work and you know with the level of enlightenment in our state, no matter the promises, there are still lots of setbacks; so you can’t go with just one mindset that, oh you have to get governorship. So we actually came with that mindset of anything could happen but the important thing is let’s go there in strength, number and add value but we met a very hostile governor who despite our previous relationship and offers to work to make the party stronger was not receptive.

So, automatically, his attitude to us and to most party leaders has even reduced the option of him becoming the candidate. And then, there are other aspirants and to the glory of God, the leadership of the party said Pastor you have been one of us, nobody is going to discriminate against you because you left and came back and many of us still appreciate you and even when you campaigned in the other side, we were very impressed by the way you carried your campaign and the support you gathered and the manifesto which you presented and we urge you to also join and let us see how it goes. Recently, I had the privilege of playing host to APC leaders, quite a number of them from the 18 local government areas. At that meeting I was urged to contest for the governorship  and a motion was moved by no less a person than a former speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. David Iyoha who is from Edo Central Senatorial District and it was seconded by Hon. Washington Osifo who is one of the members-elect in the House of Assembly from Uhunmwode and Hajia Mariam, a former commissioner in the state under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and also a former commissioner in this present government from Edo North, and everybody stood up and said Pastor you must contest. It was a very humbling experience and with that kind of reassuring confidence in me, it is difficult to say I wouldn’t contest and so far so good I seriously believe that that option is viable and is something that I should pursue for the good of our people. I am working towards it.

Q.) On re-working his SIMPLE Agenda in view of changing dynamics of politics, security and other crises that have evolved beyond what he imagined

A.) There’s no doubt that things have changed. Insecurity, especially violence, like we have now is greater than what was prevailing then. To be fair to Adams Oshiomhole’s government when he was governor, there was a lot of political tolerance. Opponents were not being dealt with in the very brutal manner that you see now. When you play back, the only time bomb exploded was during my election and when you look at that incident and what is playing out now, it is very easy to now pin-point where that bomb that exploded in my wife’s clinic came from. It is clear because even the Comrade has himself admitted that when he was in government, he warned some people about their excessive resort to violence that that was not the way to go. Apparently, they didn’t listen to him and they are still not listening to him now. In fact, he has become a target of their violence and it is only that when he was in government he was more or less in charge and he didn’t give them the kind of encouragement and funding they now have where it has become very rampant. Even on the political security side, there is more emphasis on security because people were not scared to come to our state. You get to the airport, you will see Marijuana-smoking thugs without shirts, chanting war songs and for first time visitors in the state, you can imagine the apprehension and the many negative opinion that they will have of our state and these are state-sponsored.

Q.) On N700 million court case against him and potential effect on his chances

A.) I am not deterred, I am not worried because that case started in 2015 and that case didn’t stop me from contesting the election and the issues are quite clear. Nobody has accused me of stealing any money. The money in question did not come to me personally, it did not come to my account. The only thing is that the party wanted some of us to ascertain that the money came, which we did. All those who signed and collected the money are known and are not hiding the fact. Recently we noticed that the same case was dismissed in Yobe. Election money, people signed for it and EFCC took them to court and by the time the EFCC closed their case, a no case submission was raised. One, The money in question did not come from government coffers, did not show that the money was raised from government coffers. I can tell you for free that the money that was sent to Edo was not money from Dasukigate, it was not money from NNPC or from Deziani. It is clear because those who lodged that money in the bank are from the private sector and we have been able to see their statements which they volunteered that they made contributions. So, the money was not government funds, neither did it come from illegal sources. That itself destroys the ingredient of money laundering because to be talking about money laundering it means that the funds in question came from an illegal source

Two, was there any personal benefit? Did you get this money for yourself? There was no personal enrichment. No personal benefit. Nobody can say that out of the N700 million, Pastor Ize-Iyamu took one naira from it. All the people signed and their statements are with the EFCC.

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VANGUARD

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/08/edo-2020-its-my-time-to-govern-edo-ize-iyamu/amp/

PRESS RELEASE

DISCLAIMER OF EDO STATE ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE (AGA) SUPPORT FOR OBASEKI RE-ELECTION

It has come to the notice of the Edo State working committee and also to the national working committee of our great party ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE national head quarters Abuja that one Pastor Solomon Osarumwense Oshodi has collapsed AGA party structure in Edo State and joined with other political parties in the state in other to ensure the Re-election of the incumbent governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his Deputy for this coming Edo Sep 19th Edo Election.

The current state working committee headed by Comrade Andrew Igwemoh, a chartered management accountant and with the directives of the national working committee ably led by Honorable Dr. Olukayode Oshiariyo hereby debunk and disclaim in entirety all claims in that recent statement of one Mr. Osohodi using the name of our highly respected ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE (AGA) in soliciting votes for Mr. Godwin Obaseki.

The said Mr. Osarumwense Oshodi has since been removed by the national working committee as Edo State Chairman In September 2019 and should therefore desist from parading himself or putting himself forward in that capacity in Edo State and the general public should disregard whatever purported comment in the name of ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE (AGA) in Edo State.

As the current acting state chairman of the party in Edo State our party, ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE (AGA), is not involved in any unholy alliance with PDP and Obaseki Re-Election which to us is already a failed bid and dead on arrival.

A bad son who forgets and disrespect the parents/helpers and who forgets also to be humble when the benevolent spirits crack his nut for him certainly cannot be taken to be a serious contender for the exalted office of governor and for re-election in the forth coming September 19th election.

We are saying that the ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE (AGA) as a political family in Edo State and at the national level has not adopted any governorship candidate and we are not in any political alliance with any for the time being.

ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE (AGA) wants to place on records that whatever modest achievement of the current Governor Obaseki for the past three and half years does not meet the irreducible minimum of objective performance if an AGA Governor was elected and would have bequeathed to Edo People. If this is the standard of governance, then count ALL GRASS ROOT ALLIANCE (AGA) out. Edo state deserves better than what we presently witness for the past three and half years.

ALL GRASSROOT ALLINACE (AGA) scores this government 38% performance rating

Signed,
COMRADE ANDREW IGWEMOH FCIS, FCMA (CHARTERED MANGEMENT ACCOUTANT)
ACTING STATE CHAIRMAN
EDO STATE

Signed,
ISAAC ALLEMHE
STATE SECRETARY
EDO STATE

DATED 31ST JULY, 2020

PRESS RELEASE

DISCLAIMER OF EDO STATE ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE (AGA) SUPPORT FOR OBASEKI RE-ELECTION

It has come to the notice of the Edo State working committee and also to the national working committee of our great party ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE national head quarters Abuja that one Pastor Solomon Osarumwense Oshodi has collapsed AGA party structure in Edo State and joined with other political parties in the state in other to ensure the Re-election of the incumbent governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his Deputy for this coming Edo Sep 19th Edo Election.

The current state working committee headed by Comrade Andrew Igwemoh, a chartered management accountant and with the directives of the national working committee ably led by Honorable Dr. Olukayode Oshiariyo hereby debunk and disclaim in entirety all claims in that recent statement of one Mr. Osohodi using the name of our highly respected ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE (AGA) in soliciting votes for Mr. Godwin Obaseki.

The said Mr. Osarumwense Oshodi has since been removed by the national working committee as Edo State Chairman In September 2019 and should therefore desist from parading himself or putting himself forward in that capacity in Edo State and the general public should disregard whatever purported comment in the name of ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE (AGA) in Edo State.

As the current acting state chairman of the party in Edo State our party, ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE (AGA), is not involved in any unholy alliance with PDP and Obaseki Re-Election which to us is already a failed bid and dead on arrival.

A bad son who forgets and disrespect the parents/helpers and who forgets also to be humble when the benevolent spirits crack his nut for him certainly cannot be taken to be a serious contender for the exalted office of governor and for re-election in the forth coming September 19th election.

We are saying that the ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE (AGA) as a political family in Edo State and at the national level has not adopted any governorship candidate and we are not in any political alliance with any for the time being.

ALL GRASSROOT ALLIANCE (AGA) wants to place on records that whatever modest achievement of the current Governor Obaseki for the past three and half years does not meet the irreducible minimum of objective performance if an AGA Governor was elected and would have bequeathed to Edo People. If this is the standard of governance, then count ALL GRASS ROOT ALLIANCE (AGA) out. Edo state deserves better than what we presently witness for the past three and half years.

ALL GRASSROOT ALLINACE (AGA) scores this government 38% performance rating

Signed,
COMRADE ANDREW IGWEMOH FCIS, FCMA (CHARTERED MANGEMENT ACCOUTANT)
ACTING STATE CHAIRMAN
EDO STATE

Signed,
ISAAC ALLEMHE
STATE SECRETARY
EDO STATE

DATED 31ST JULY, 2020

Why is the APC not trolling Gov Obaseki and his MEGA slogan ? It is obviously copied, borrowed, plagiarized from the Donald Trump make america great again.

Secondly. Why is he just trying to make Edo great again ? Does this mean he accepts that his 4 years in office is a failure ? Making great again to me means it has been in bad shape.

This is the question I have been asking Gov Obaseki and his followers.

Obaseki’s Intolerant and Sadistic Leadership
 
By Yakub Mohammad
 

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki appears to have added a new preference to his unkind character traits and it’s called SADISM. He’s suddenly developed an intentional penchant for delighting in the misfortune of others. And as a political neophyte, spurred only by the irrationality of his infantile choices, his inability to strategically channel his bile, especially for logic-driven results, is quick to expose him and his petty ecstasy. 
 
I suffered a momentary pang of shock recently, when I learnt of the lies being joyfully spread around by the Edo State governor amongst his close-knit allies. The embattled outgoing governor of Edo State has been propounding to his sycophantic cliques, his new theory on why the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not stand a chance in the September 19 governorship election.
 
According to him, a certain individual from the northern part of the country, who used to assist the ruling party by arranging some dollars from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is no more, and therefore, the party would be unable to muster enough funds for the election, which automatically leaves him in a position of strength as the incumbent.
 
How more wicked, satanic and insensate can a character be, all in the name of an ambition? His excitement, when others suffer misfortune is both legendary and incomprehensible. This also underscores why all the good people in Edo State today are standing in a camp different from his.
 
For eight years, Obaseki headed former Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s economic team and managed the state with him, literally taking the decisions from behind the scene. This, understandably, was the reason Oshiomhole, against all odds, deemed it fit to push him forward as his successor, because not only was he with him for that long, he was in charge of the state’s economy.
 
No sooner had he assumed office than he started seeking the fall of his benefactor as the national chairman of the APC, aligning with Oshiomhole’s traducers in the party to victimise and denigrate him till he was eventually pushed out of his position as the APC chairman.
 
To get him into office, Oshiomhole did everything within his reach, including projections that were never to be and allusions that were later proven overtime as incorrect. But to pay back, he’s done practically everything, including telling palpable lies and painting Oshiomhole black. It was the ‘cutest thank you’ ever in appreciation of all that Oshiomhole did for him.
 
But he didn’t stop with Oshiomhole. He’d probably read some puerile laws of power and decided to go after everyone, who contributed to his success, as not just his payback for their good deeds to him, but also to gloat, if misfortune eventually befalls any of them.
 
This, of course, brings to mind, the speed at which he went after Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo. Curiously, this started after some people moved to get Okunbo into the governorship race, an overture he expressly turned down.
 
But on getting this hint, Obaseki went after the retired commercial pilot. Although he did not want Okunbo to run for the position, he never sat with him to solicit his support.  Yet, the only time he made a remark about the governorship to Okunbo was at a reception in Lagos, where he derisively addressed him as “Incoming Governor”, to which Okunbo immediately dispelled and reiterated that he wasn’t interested in the office of the governor.
 
Coincidentally, as Okunbo narrated recently in a lengthy press statement, on the same day that the reception held in Lagos, the story of a move by the Nigeria Ports Authority against Okunbo’s company, the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA), was published in some of the dailies.
 
The story had insinuated again that Okunbo was interested in the Edo governorship, even when intelligence had reached the Edo-born businessman and philanthropist that Obaseki was the one behind the rumour.
 
“As God would have it, while in the company of some friends at the governor’s house in Benin, on one occasion, I confronted him that he was the one behind the attack on my company.  In a bid to defend himself, he put a call through to someone in Lagos and, perhaps, mistakenly left the phone speaker.  
 
“He asked the person at the other end: ‘Why is the MD of NPA worrying Captain?’ and the man replied: ‘Godwin, I thought you said this man was fighting you.  The MD of NPA is fighting your battle for you.’  I quickly told him that I had caught him. On this occasion, I had witnesses and, if further probed, names could be mentioned,” Okunbo narrated. 
 
Okunbo also recalled that, when Obaseki was the chairman of the National Economic Council’s Ad-Hoc Committee on Oil Theft and Pipeline Vandalism, “I got a feeler that a damaging report was going to be written about my company by the Committee.  
 
“I was then given an opportunity to address the Committee on the matter to defend my company and its job.  My defence was excellently delivered, but at the end of the day, when the report came out, it was still damaging even when I had complied with my threshold and responsibilities.
 
“It is sad that Governor Obaseki has been paranoid about me even before he became governor, for reasons best known to him,” he noted, adding that he had since known that the disagreements “between Comrade Oshiomhole and myself, during his eight years administration in Edo State, were orchestrated from the background by Governor Obaseki.” 
 
Need I say more that, Obaseki is irredeemably evil and sadistic and that ingratitude remains his stock-in-trade? How does anyone situate the video of a colleague-governor, Abdulahi Ganduje, conspicuously placed at a roundabout in Benin, just because he is leading his party’s campaign in September? What joy does it give him?
 
How do you even start to define the character of a governor, who ordered a crackdown on his people in a campaign period? Do I need to say it more expressly that he lacks wisdom, patience and the perseverance required to occupy his current office? He is simply innately wicked hence his going after all the illustrious sons and daughters of the state.
 
It’s in Obaseki’s interest to stop looking at the rear mirror of bringing back the untruths about Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, because it helped him to win the 2016 election. He should look at the windshield of the future of what Ize-Iyamu has to offer the Edo people in the next four years and if he must look at the rear mirror, then he should tell us all what he too has done for the Edo people in the last four years, definitely not on power-point presentations of things that have never happened.
 
The general belief is that he actually has nothing to campaign with and his only escape is to attack the character of his opponent and try to discredit them. Obaseki has nothing to offer Edo and when given the chance in the last four years, all he has done is to impoverish them and sold to them projects only on paper with propaganda and nothing to show on the ground. But he has kept his social media rats busy, promoting paper presentations of his achievements and encouraging them to abuse their elders. Is that the 200,000 jobs he promised the youths?
 
Well, whoever it was that Obaseki claimed was no more but had always provided financial back-up for the APC through the CBN, it is yet to be seen how Obaseki too would survive the post-office financial scandal that is definitely to come on his trail after the September 19 election. Fingers crossed!

-- Mohammad wrote from Abuja