I Went Into Edo Gov’ship Race To Service – Ize-Iyamu

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Party (APC) in the forthcoming election in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, recently spoke with select journalists about his ambition and issues relating to his candidacy. MUYIWA OYINLOLA was there.
You left the PDP, the party on which platform you contested the last election sometime ago, and re-joined your former party the APC. Many people see you as a rolling stone that gathers no moss, why are you not stable in one political party?
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 the 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 have been talking to us to return and 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 bird fellows. Most of the people there did not share in our own dreams and visions so we meant and discussed it. We came to the conclusion that it would be a lot better if we returned to APC. No matter what you will say, the APC are 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. Criticising government permanently will not bring the development we need in our areas, so that is why I said our movement is just consistent with our core objectives of trying to ensure that we blend our people in government and ensure that the dividends of democracy do not elude them.
It is being said that part of the reasons you joined the APC is to have the ticket for this year’s election. How true is this?
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 back 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 a lot 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 let’s 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. Recently, I had the privilege of playing host to APC leaders, quite a number of them from the 18 local government areas and 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 a former commissioner in the state under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Hajia Mariam, 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.
Can you react to the allegation that you are now a General without an army that the foothold which you enjoyed in the past as the founding member of the APC family and Grace Group to now has evaporated since you left the party?
Oh no! In fact, the immediate past national chairman of our party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who is from our state and a former two-term governor of this state mentioned it when I came back that not only have I returned with everybody that left with me but I have even brought more, which means as far as the APC is concerned, my exit and return is like a good investment that has brought multiple dividends to the party. If I had gone with all those who left with me in the 192 wards and I was not able to come back with them, then you will say well it appears your movement has eroded your political base. But to the glory of God, everyone that left with me has returned. Even those who were never in the APC, those who have traditionally always been in the PDP have also come with me.
Talking about the ‘Simple Agenda’, which appears to be your manifesto and has been in circulation long before now, do you intend to add or subtract from it given the dynamics of time?
There’s no doubt that things have changed. Insecurity and 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 manners 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 Comrade Oshiomhole 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.
So that is an issue and of course too we believe in statistics, we believe in records. We have to look at what have accrued to the state in the past three and a half years. We have to look at the focus and the emphasis of this government. For example the government placed so much premium on signing of MoUs, what has it translated to? Where are the industries and how can industries be established in the absence of peace. So, these are issues and definitely we will have to review and in the next couple of days or maximum weeks, we will bring out the reviewed version of the ‘Simple Agenda’ but basically, the vision is still the same and the concept is still the same. The agenda is still simple.
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