*Gives boost to Ize-Iyamu’s gov
ambition Ahead of the September 10 Governorship election in Edo State, the
gubernatorial ambition of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Standard-bearer,
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, weekend, got a major boost, following his endorsement
by an Independent Campaign Group, The Edo Disciples.
The
support group, which said it was throwing its weight behind the candidature of
Ize-Iyamu, pointed that the issues in the Edo governorship poll, go beyond
party politics, adding that the incumbent Governor Adams Oshiomhole of the
ruling All Progressives Congress, APC has failed not only his activist
credentials, but also failed to deliver development to the people of the state
in line with his presumed background as a progressive.
In a statement by its Coordinator, Ademola
Olarewaju, the #EdoDisciples said: “The politics of Nigeria since the First
Republic has been characterized by the same kind of political tactics that we
witness today – thuggery, empty promises, rhetorics, rigging, bribery of
electoral umpire, rented crowds, defections and so on – with opposing parties
using the same political playbook and lacking distinctive strategy. Once in a
while though, there is an imaginative intervention experiment that stuns voters
– such as Obafemi Awolowo’s use of a helicopter to arrive at various campaign
points in the 1960s.
“Another unique feature of politics in Nigeria
apart from the copycat tendencies is that youths are largely excluded from the
political process except as thugs – either onground thugs to beat others up or
online thugs to slander others. Some of us with our interests fully political
feel that we can do more than this. That youths have value to add to the
campaign of any candidate beyond such dirty use and in the process, create a
campaign that is unique in approach to voters and procures more votes for the
candidate.
“The election of September 10, 2016
in Edo State promises to be historical and has the capacity to radically alter
the political space of Nigeria. Edo State as the only state in the Niger-Delta
that is not governed by the PDP is an outlier. Following the heavy losses of
APC in Bayelsa and Rivers States after the National victory of March 28, PDP
sent a clear message that the South-South is firmly a PDP zone. If APC wins
here, it defeats this political assumption but if it loses here, it will be a
death blow to its outlook as a national party. “For those of us who support the
PDP and belong to it as members, sending this message to the APC has never been
more important. Getting a seat at the table of Nigerian politics is also
important. These ideas in our minds is what has birthed The #EdoDisciples – an
Independent Campaign Group for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the next Governor of
Edo State. “For the next few weeks leading to the Edo elections, #EdoDisciples
will preach the gospel of Ize-Iyamu onground and online and add substantial
value to the campaign with modern method of electioneering such as deep voter
interaction, polling, experiential marketing and electoral monitoring. “The
issues in Edo also go beyond party politics – Oshiomhole has failed not only
his activist credentials but also failed to deliver development to the people
of the state in line with his presumed background as a progressive. Since I got
here a few days back and tried to gauge the political climate of the state, the
most recurring thing I have heard are tales of an almost pathological
persecution of the poorest people. Ignore the infamous statement made by Gov.
Oshiomhole himself that a widow should “go and die” – there is actually a Tax
firm called Akugbe Ventures that is headed by an individual called Kabaka to
bring in tax from the people – suya sellers, shoemakers, fruitsellers and this
tax firm is the official revenue collection vehicle of the government.”
Olarewaju added: “For a state that has received close to N2 trillion since
Adams Oshiomhole was sworn in as Governor in 2008, Edo State remains largely
backward and we will show this in the weeks to come. Edo State with Benin as
capital, a city that was renowned all over the then Western Region as the
capital of Woodwork and Furniture-Making now has to import school furniture from
Abuja, only to have them dumped in a warehouse with leaky roofs while the
schools were been constructed. By the time the warehouse was reopened, rain had
destroyed the furniture – leaving several dozen schools without desks and
chairs for students. Only few weeks back according to sources, the commissioner
for Education sent a memo to the Governor requesting funds to refurbish and
perhaps salvage some of those chairs. Edo deserves better than this political
contraption called APC. “There is only one party that can defeat the APC in Edo
with a combination of proven structures and a wide array of experienced
political minds. There is only one man that can lead the party to this
electoral goal with a combination of street credibility, political sagacity, intellectual
grounding, superior morals and a thorough knowledge of Edo politics that has
worked for others in times past: that party is the PDP and this man is Pastor
Osagie Ize-Iyamu. “The #EdoDisciples is a wide alliance of dozens of people who
recognise the harsh reality of our societal struggle for transformation and the
truth of how elections are won, and lost. In this election, we intend to make
our voice heard, our presence felt and our impact visible – online, but also on
the streets of Edo State – and we have started. “If our collective goal is to
confront and subdue a political party that has now become the modern face of
economic terrorism against the masses, our only hope to send a clear message of
rejection by winning Edo, and the candidate to trigger this defeat is Osagie
Ize-Iyamu.’’
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