Ahead of the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu, and other leaders are billed to meet soon to strategise on how to ensure victory for the party’s governorship candidate, Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a source close to the party’s hierarchy told THISDAY at the weekend.
One of the governors, who is also a member of the newly-constituted caretaker committee of the party, told THISDAY at the weekend that the expected meeting is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive – immediately after the last National Executive Committee’s meeting of the party recently in Abuja for the party to work towards reclaiming Edo State it lost to the PDP with the defection of the Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.
“At our National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at the Villa recently, we ratified the candidature of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu – based on President Muhammadu Buhari’s recommendation. And the president also directed that we should mobilise all the party’s organs and ensure we deliver Edo State for APC.
“And in line with that, we are consulting all the APC governors, party’s leaders, especially our national leader, Bola Tinubu, and other party’s stakeholders on the need for us to meet very soon. Already, the campaign council has been constituted and members will be inaugurated this week,’’ the governor stated.
He added that the party has a little job to do in Edo State because of the popularity of the party’s candidate.
“Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is a grassroots politician. He is at home with the politics of the state. As the leader of the opposition in Edo State in the last two general elections, he made things very difficult for us. Now, we are happy he has come back home. And with our full support, he will deliver Edo State to APC,’’ the governor stated.
Responding to the plans by the caretaker committee to dissolve some troubled states executives of the party, he said the committee was yet to take a position on the issue.
Meanwhile, one of the spokesmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council in the 2019 general election, Prince Kazeem Afegbua, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, expressed optimism that Ize-Iyamu will win the election.
‘’Pastor Ize-Iyamu’s comportment, diligence at delivering responsibilities, sense of organisation and marksmanship are direct opposite of Governor Obaseki’s combative style, laced with blackmail, pretentiousness and over sanctimonious.
“Democracy talks about constructive engagement and collective bargaining. It preaches inclusion, not exclusion. It reinforces participation, involvement, and collectivity. Governor Obaseki is the opposite of what an ideal democratic situation should be. His politics is destructive, exclusive, and demonising,’’ he stated.
