My choice for Governor, and that of the majority of Edo people, remains Osagie Ize-Iyamu. The reason is simple, as the agenda he plans to execute when he becomes Governor.

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, by the virtue of my close association with him over the years, has distinguished himself to me as a better manager of men and resources than the current administrator of the state that robs the meager resources of Edo State without question and without accountability.

Osagie Ize-Iyamu is also my pick of the bunch because others, in my view, lack the spread of followership to deliver the state to the APC in the governorship election slated for September this year.

Admittedly, some persons, oftentimes, rely on second-hand information to get a grasp of political happenings, and as such may be considered to have limited understanding. But the democratization of information, made possible by the internet and its wide adoption, has made it easier for us to follow events, sometimes in real-time, and assess the quality of leadership offered to our people.

To this end, and without any intention to personally attack anyone, I make bold to say that Edo State is totally misgoverned. I can spend pages to illustrate this point but for the sake of brevity and time, I will highlight the relevant points.

Osagie Ize-Iyamu will make a great Governor because he has both a sense of legacy and self-restraint for the reasons I will illustrate below.

Osagie Ize-Iyamu was born and has been bred in Benin city. He grew up and acquired his education in Benin. He’s from a traditional Benin family and fully recognizes the traditional restraints expected of leaders put in charge of the people. His pedigree is noble. His great grandfather, grandfather, father, uncles and other members of his family have all held exalted traditional chieftaincy titles; even the Iyase position, the highest chieftaincy position in the Benin Kingdom. His opponents are not of this noble background.

No wonder the current administration nearly four years sojourn has been characterizing to be reckless with state funds, reckless with accountability, reckless in the way they relate with the Edo people, treating them as captured people. The result is that there’s absolutely no clear signs of coordinated governance except obvious abuse of power! The few roads tarred were done without tender.

So, no one knows how the contracts were awarded. The required government/official procedures are breached with reckless abandon. They seem not to care what happens after they leave office.

In sharp contrast, Osagie Ize-Iyamu has a plan to govern Edo State. He has had it for years. It’s well articulated in a document published in 2016 known as the SIMPLE agenda. That’s the acronym for the six-bullet points of his plan. Im aware that this document has been updated to guide him when he’s elected Governor in September and assumes office as Governor in November 2020.

Osagie Ize-Iyamu has a great and uncommon ability of spotting talents who can join him in governing the state, based on their proven merit and capabilities.

Osagie Ize-Iyamu is a darling of the vast majority of the Edo people cutting across the entire senatorial districts of South, Central and North of Edo State. This is why he has remained the single most central issue in Edo State politics since 2007 when he formed the Grace Group political organization or even earlier. That’s the group with which Comrade Adams Oshiomhole ran for Governor of Edo State and won. In turn, Governor Oshiomhole used elements of the same platform to bring Godwin Obaseki from obscurity to run as Governor and emerged even as he actually lost that election to Osagie Ize-Iyamu, but was returned by INEC through questionable means.

Unfortunately, because of our state of electoral jurisprudence, the fraud Obaseki committed to get himself announced as the winner in that election of September 2016 was judicially upheld! However, those who joined Obaseki to commit that act of electoral robbery are confessing today.

The good people of Edo State are yearning for Osagie Ize-Iyamu to be Governor because he has been with them all his life without blemish, compared with Godwin Obaseki who they barely know, but for his name recognition as an Obaseki. Godwin Obaseki had not been in the state since leaving after graduating from the University of Ibadan in 1979. He had spent most of his years in Lagos, before coming to Benin to join the Oshiomhole government in 2009.

In effect, Godwin Obaseki is a failed businessman who was rehabilitated by Oshiomhole with government appointment, and subsequent sponsorship as Governor. That appointment is the only real credential he can boast of without much controversy.

So, that’s why Communication Commissioner, Mr. Paul Ohunbamu could not point out any meaningful project, or programs being administered by the state government.

There are many other reasons why Osagie Ize-Iyamu should be preferred to Godwin Obaseki as Governor – however, what I have set out above is just a snippet. I will do my best to further this discussion.

Dr. Eki Iguomoson (PhD) sent in this piece from Edo state.