Ize-Iyamu, others dare Oshiomole, join Edo guber race

Ize-Iyamu, others dare Oshiomole, join Edo guber race

The number of aspirants jostling for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) swelled on Wednesday as Pastor Ize-Iyamu led four others to pick expression of interest and nomination form of the party.

The scramble for the forms brings to eight the number of aspirants who have picked forms in defiance to Senator Adams Oshiomhole who had pushed for trimming the numbers, prelude to producing an anointed candidate.

Leading friends of Pastor Ize -Iyamu to collect forms at the party’s national secretariat, Hon Emmanuel Momoh stressed that no individual will anoint a candidate for the party ahead of the forthcoming governorship, adding that Edo has passed that stage in it’s political evolution.

He explained further that the purported committee set up to prune the number of aspirants has been dismissed as null and void by the spokesman of the APC, Barrister Felix Morka.

“That he (Ize-Iyamu) is not among the anointed, it is only God that anoints. Let me make it clear to every Nigerian, what was done does not reflect in the constitution of the APC. The committee that was set up is not an organ of the APC, there was nothing done, it was an action of one man who is a voter like me.

“No single voter has the right to anoint a candidate, we are all members of APC and we stand on that. It is today that Pastor Osagie Osagie Ize-Iyamu led four others to pick expression of interest and nomination form for ticket of the party and officially presented himself to the party as an aspirant, an intending candidate of the party, and the process begins today.

“If you look at the calendar of APC, the issue of somebody being anointed does not hold water, and we want to let you know that he( Ize-Iyamu )is going ahead with the race and whatever have been done can be considered as a sham and is not inline with the direction of the National Working Committee of the party.” Momoh stated.

Recall that the committee had pruned the number of aspirants to six , among them, Ernest Umakhihe (Owan East LGA), Clem Agba (Etsako East LGA), Lucky Imasuen (Ovia North East LGA, Dennis Idahosa (Ovia South West LGA), David Imuse (Esan West LGA) and Monday Okpebholo (Esan Central LGA).

However more names joined the race on Wednesday bringing the number to nine as Pastor Osagie Andrew Ize-Iyamu, eight former candidates of the party in 2019, Gideon Ikhine, Col. David Onabure and Major. General Charles Airhiavbere (Rtd), another veteran in the Edo governorship race, picked forms through proxies. (Independent)