The Edo People’s Movement (EPM) have written to President Muhammadu Buhari, urging him to support governorship candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, as a consensus candidate.

In a statement title that ends with “IT IS TIME TO SAVE OUR PARTY TO AVOID THE BAYELSA ELECTORAL TRAGEDY,” the EPM expresses their disappointment in party chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, mentioning how he went to PDP to bring a candidate for them APC to move forward.

Adding the Oshiomhole is “a mockery to the progressive ideology and guiding principle of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as a party” and a “travesty” to Buhari’s “fight against corruption in Nigeria.”

The EPM also reminded the president of Osagie Ize-Iyamu pending case with the EFCC.

Recall a group recently pocked Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu over his loyalty to Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and him creating a false brand of left populism, months after his purported defection from the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress.

‘Your loyalty still tied to Atiku’, group slams Ize-Iyamu, urges him to stop attack on Buhari

The EPM also remended the president how Ize-Iyamu “vehemently campaigned against you and our party,” therefore asking “What about if Atiku had won?”

Read below –

We sincerely wish to appreciate you for the efforts and strategies you have put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus in Nigeria and to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians at this critical time.

The political crisis in Edo State between the performing governor and the renegade EPM group sponsored by the National Chairman of our party, comrade Adams Oshiomhole is no longer news and the essence of forming that group is to present a candidate that he can use to fight the incumbent governor.

 

We and Edo people are surprised and disappointed that comrade Adams who ought to understand your patriotic desire to end corruption in Nigeria and define governance at all levels in Nigeria from a more progressive dimension could go to the PDP to bring Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who has no good reputation or capacity into APC with the main aim of using him to fight Governor Godwin.

 

Last two week Tuesday, the Epm group met in Benin City amidst the ban on public gathering due to the coronavirus to organise a mock primary to elect their consensus candidate they will use in fighting the governor, and from information available to us, comrade Adams Oshiomhole gave directive for them to deliver pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. Unfortunately for him, the other aspirants protested that it will not happen due to the fact that he just joined APC about three months ago as against all of them who have remained in the party and who have joined hands to build it when Ize Iyamu left to PDP to contest the 2016 Governorship election. This fight among them led to the destruption of the meeting by thugs loyal to the other aspirants.

Despite the protest by the other aspirants, comrade Adams Oshiomhole in his usual manner still went ahead and crown Ize Iyamu as the consensus candidate of EPM because according to information available us, he had to force him on them because he was deceived by the Ize-Iyamu to believe that has the financial muscle to fight the incumbent Governor because he was been sponsored by Captain Hosa Okunbor. The man Ize-Iyamu actually has no financial capacity to win the election and not really been sponsored by Captain
Hosa Okunbor because the man has come out to deny the claim in a rejoinder widely circulated.

 

This action of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is not only a mockery to the progressive ideology and guiding principle of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as a party, but a travesty on your fight against corruption in Nigeria. It is an insult to the memories of Edo and will make Nigerians to see us as hypocrites and People who are not serious minded. This is in view of the fact that:

i. Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu served and played a critical role as the Chief of Staff and later SSG to Lucky Igbinedion Government, a government that has been generally adjudged as the most corrupt Government in Edo State that recorded no reasonable achievement until the APC government came into power in 2007. That same character is the person comrade Adams Oshiomhole has brought into APC to fly the ticket of APC.

ii. The man Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has a pending EFCC case of Fraud with suit no FHC/BB1c/2018 . He is been prosecuted by EFCC for N700,000.000 Good luck Jonathan campaign funds from Dasuki which has saw the conviction of Olisa Metuh. The case came up for hearing on the 2nd of March, 2020 and was adjourned to the 26th of March, 2020 but due to this coronavirus pandemic that led to the closure of Courts, the Court could not sit. What is comrade Adams Oshiomhole going to tell the electorate that such a person is the candidate of APC and what moral right do we as a party have to speak against previous PDP corrupt Government or further prosecute other culprits involved in the Dasukigate? What about if he is convicted before the election? that means APC won’t have a candidate and the tragedy that happens in Bayelsa will also happen in Edo State because of the overbearing and careless action of one man. We think the time to stop it is now.

III. This same Ize Iyamu was the PDP Director General of Good luck Jonathan campaign in 2015 Presidential election in Edo State and in last year’s Presidential election,he was also the Director General of Atiku Abubakar Presidential campaign Organization and vehemently campaigned against you and our party. What about if Atiku had won? Would Oshiomhole had brought him to fight the APC ticket with Obaseki? This is politically adsurd and antithetical to the guiding principle of political party system in Nigeria, especially a progressive party like APC that Nigerians see as a better alternative.It is an insult to all loyal and faithful party members like our amiable Governor who has remained in the party.

iv. When the said Ize Iyamu decamped from APC to PDP in pursuit of the 2016 gubernatorial seat, he didn’t see APC as a good and formidable party to fly its flag, why should he now now purport to come back to APC few months to the election with the main of getting the ticket? If Godwin Obaseki and other leaders of APC had left the way Ize Iyamu,who would have held and strengthen the party till today? We are even aware he is been sponsored by some PDP governors just to secure the APC ticket so that in case he wins, he can return back to PDP. The aim is to make the South South a full PDP State.

v. Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has umpteenth times informed Edo and the whole world that the said Ize Iyamu is corrupt and untrustworthy. That he is a thief, a fake pastor and has so much destroyed his name on channels TV and other platforms. There is no way APC can market such a product that comrade Adams Oshiomhole has so much demarketed with his mouth. How is Comrade Adams Oshiomhole going to stand in the podium to campaign for such person? The opposition party have already saved all those videos and ready to use them against us if Ize Iyamu is made the candidate of APC. APC will have no single good thing to say about the Ize Iyamu.

Consequently, we are even shocked that comrade Adams Oshiomhole EPM group could even adopt a man who has not been validly registered as a member of the APC in his ward. His Ward and Local Chairmen have not recognized him. The Ugboko Ward APC Chairman Mr Mathew Ogbebor , the Secretary Mr Nosa Umweni and Local government party chairman where the said Ize Iyamu came from have denied many times that they have not issue him any party membership card. Article 9. 1(ii) of our party has made it very clear that it is only the Ward executives of our party that can issue a party membership card. However, even if he has even been registered as a party, has the NWC with the approval of the NEC given him a waiver ?
In Bayelsa State governorship election few months ago, the Former resident electoral commissioner of Cross Rivers State , Dr. Brigal Frankland was disqualified from contesting that election by the Isa Isong led committee because he has not spent up to one year in the party in line with the guideline and also in Kogi State few months, the Senator Hope Uzodinma led screening committed also disqualified two aspirants because they were less than one year in the party in line with the guideline. Is comrade Adams Oshiomhole now going to change the rule as it has been hitherto practiced just to favour his EPM Consensus candidate?

 

Mr President, as the leader of our party who has always advised on the need to strengthen our party and follow the Constitution, we appeal that you use your good office to call the National Chairman of our party to order. Governor Godwin Obaseki is the one that deserves to be the consensus candidate and not that serial decampee who runs to different Political party every year to secure the party ticket and runs out immediately he loses. We cannot trust him. He came into the party with the promise not to contest but to help to build the party , but today he has become the agent of division and mischief in the party. If Oshiomhole succeeds in forcing him on us with his influence as the National Chairman, I can assure you that it will be another disaster waiting to happen on our party after the Bayelsa electoral tragedy occasioned by the desire of some few individuals to force a deputy governorship candidate on the party even in the face of glaring legal encumbrance.

We have taken time to write you this letter because we believe you have the capacity to correct this political malaise and madness otherwise we maybe forced to approach the Court to correct this wrong against our party in Edo State and at that time, we believe nobody will blame us for filling an action against our party and officials.

A stitch in time save nine.

Accept the assurances of our highest esteemed.

Signed.

……..

…..

Cc.

1.Vice president of Nigeria

2. National leader, Senator Ahmed Tinubu

3. The Secretary to Government of the Federation.

4. APC Caucus in the National assembly.

Members of the National Working Committee ( NWC) of our Party.

The Aselm Ojeizua led APC in Edo State.