Ize-Iyamu rejects blame for past administrations’ mistakes

Market women get N120m grant from Oshiomhole

The campaign organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) candidate in next month’s gubernatorial polls in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has said that the people had developed beyond the level of winning elections through any means of financial inducement.

According to him, the electorate is ready to reject and punish the ‘’Pseudo Comrade,’ Governor Adams Oshiomhole, and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) on September 10 for allegedly subjecting them to untold hardship in the past seven and a half years.

The organisation also stated that it was malicious and spiteful to blame Ize-Iyamu for whatever might have been the mistakes of the past administrations, including that of Oshiomhole.

A press statement issued by the media unit of the campaign said that Oshiomhole and APC by their actions, are waging unnecessary war against the people of Edo, adding that it is ‘’ungodly and inhuman’’ for the out-going governor to have recently allegedly given “some selected innocent women with N120 million for the purpose of election, when pensioners and local government workers have not been paid 10 to 15 months salaries.”

Oshiomhole recently donated N120 million to some selected market women at the Dr. Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Staduim, Benin City, thanking them for supporting his administration and added that the APC governorship candidate, Godwin Obaseki would do more if elected.

According to the statement: “The good people of Edo have made up their minds to take their destiny in their own hands by sensibly picking the best candidate that can move the state beyond where it is now; and that candidate is Pastor Ize-Iyamu.

“The people remain strong and focused in the on-going efforts to bring about a new state that will deliver socio-economic, healthcare, employment, skill acquisitions and other deliverable services to the people. And there is no better prepared candidate for the position in any of the political parties than Pastor Ize-Iyamu.

“The swelling popularity of the PDP candidate and the determination of the people to vote out the APC are already making Oshiomhole and his puppet candidate, Obaseki panicky.”

Having served in the past as Chief of Staff to the Edo State government and later the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ize-Iyamu had piloted the engine of governance and would therefore need no induction course to swing into action from day one, just as no one can bamboozle him to derail governance as can be done to a typical green horn, like Godwin Obaseki.

Perhaps, the most popular criticism is that Pastor Ize Iyamu served in the administration of former governor Lucky Igbinedion, a government in which all the critics themselves served or garnered immense advantage.

And we ask: is it rational for instance, for us to blame the current Chief of Staff, Mr. Patrick Obahiagbon and the SSG, Professor Julius Ihionvare, for the financial bleeding of the state in the past seven and a half years? Surely no.

In any case, the same Ize-Iyamu whom Oshiomhole is abusing today was the Director-General of his campaign organisation during the last election. Is it a case of he is good when working for Oshiomhole and bad for having worked for Igbinedion and very bad for seeking to work for himself?”

The statement added that apart from occasional outbursts, which many people refused to understand, no one has so far refuted the story that it was the same so-called discredited government’’ that brought and financed Oshiomhole’s election in 2007.Oshiomhole had granted N120 million to market women at a rally held at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.

Also, some women across the three senatorial districts of the state have endorsed Obaseki, saying they took the decision because of their conviction that he would build on the developmental strides started by the governor.

Oshiomhole added that he was encouraged to give the grant because the disbursement of the N100million earlier given them was rancour-free.Earlier, the President General of the Market Women Association, Mrs Blacky Omoregie, urged Obaseki to continue with the developmental projects of Oshiomhole and stressed that the promised reconstruction of markets would ensure the growth of businesses.