Gov Obaseki and Iyamu to square it out at the part primaries on June 22
A clearer pattern has emerged in the raging supremacy battle between Governor Godwin Obaseki and National Party Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole for the control of party structures of the All Progressives Party, APC, in Edo State, with the emergence of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyama as an factional aspirant for the party governorship candidacy in the party’s June 22 primaries.
Iyamu, former Secretary to Government under Oshiomole’s administration before he parted ways with Oshiomhole and defected to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to contest the governorship in 2016 recently defected again to the APC at the height of the party’s crisis, and emerged the consensus candidate of the faction loyal to Oshiomhole.
Ize-Iyamu, a former Secretary to Edo State Government (SSG), emerged on Tuesday night in Abuja through consensus arrangement. Other aspirants who stepped down for Iyamu included former Minister for Works, Chris Ogiemwonyi, Dr. Pius Odubu, Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (rtd.).
Iyamu in white outfit and the other aspirants who stepped down for him
He has picked the nomination form of the party at the National Secretariat of the party on Wednesday morning in Abuja ahead of the APC’s primary and governorship election in Edo State.
At the event where he was chosen as the factions’ consensus candidate of the faction, Senator Francis Alimikhena, representating of Edo North Senatorial District at the National Assembly, represented Iyamu.
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.
He is expected to slug it out with Governor Godwin Obaseki for the direct primary of the party slated for June 22.
In a swift reaction governor Obaseki has described the emergence of Iyama as laughable as it was done in flagrant disregard for party rules and guidelines released by the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie said: “It is 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 states.
“The last time we checked, the timetable released by Oshiohole’s National Working Committee, NWC, fixed Edo Primary election for 22 June, 2020 and it is expected to hold in Edo State, but we bnow hear they have conducted the primary election three weeks before the set date in a jurisdiction far way from Edo state, making a mockery of our great party, APC, President Buhari, the preisdency and all institutins and esteemed individuals associated with our party”.
He said all the above makes it illegal and null and void.
