Edo PDP: What next after Ize-Iyamu’s exit?

Former Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has dumped the platform for the All Progressives Congress (APC). Correspondent OSAGIE OTABOR examines the implications of his defection as the state prepares for next year’s poll.

 

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State were in a celebration mood last week. They were celebrating the exit of a man they described as ‘Mr Trouble’ from the party. At the residence of the chairman of the party, Chief Dan  Orbih, the chieftains popped champagne when news filtered that the man was already on his way to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Who is this man? He is Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

The reason for the celebration of Ize-Iyamu’s exit was because they saw him as someone who always caused misfortune for the party. They alleged that he was serving in a PDP government under Chief Lucky Igbinedion, but he secretly funded the demise of the party by sponsoring the Grace Group, which metamorphosed into the defunct Action Congress (AC), which Comrade Adams Oshiomhole used to sweep them out of power.

Until the outcome of the 2019 presidential election, Pastor Ize-Iyamu was confident that he would get the governorship ticket of the PDP for next year’s election, having given the APC a tough fight in 2016. At any gathering after the 2016 election, he was still introduced as ‘our governorship candidate’.

In February last year when the Edo PDP leadership embarked on a tour of the 18 local government areas to meet with party supporters, Pastor Ize-Iyamu was part of the entourage and he used the opportunity to donate money to members. He thanked them for their continued belief in the party.

Orbih, who led the PDP delegation, explained to members that Pastor Ize-Iyamu remained the  candidate until the court ruled on a suit challenging the qualification of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Read Also: Ize-Iyamu, Edo ex-Speaker, others dump PDP for APC

Orbih, who said he cannot abandon Ize-Iyamu in the middle of the river, said until Ize-Iyamu because governor under would not be tired of supporting him.

“Even, if I am no longer chairman of the PDP, I will still support him. It is proper for me to do what I am doing now. This is because we still have a pre-election matter in court challenging the qualification of Governor Obaseki. Until the case is decided, he remains a candidate of the PDP. Until that case is decided, we will accord him all privileges.”

The cozy relationship between Orbih and Ize-Iyamu hit the rock over the money brought by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to execute the presidential election. Party sources said Ize-Iyamu disbursed the money without carrying Orbih along while others said the money was judiciously spent, which made the party won the election in the state. It was also gathered that Orbih was not comfortable with the perceived towering status of Ize-Iyamu by some PDP members and he decided to ‘cut him to size.’

In the 2019 general elections, Orbih was said to have blocked any attempt to make Ize-Iyamu Director General of the Atiku Campaign Organisation. Some party stalwarts said Orbih was not happy that the Pastor could address PDP supporters at his residence without clearance from the party hierarchy.

Ize-Iyamu‘s ambition to govern Edo State began when he served as Chief of Staff and Secretary tô the State Government to Chief Igbinedion. He was among those deregistered from the party and they, with support of the former governor, plotted the down fall of the PDP by financing the defunct Action Congress (AC), and later, the Action Congress of Nigerian (ACN).

In 2015, Pastor Ize-Iyamu left the ACN for the PDP after he failed to get hold of the party machinery by placing his men at the ward leadership level of the party. He felt he would not get the party’s ticket because his loss at the ward congresses was a sign that Adams Oshiomhole would not support his ambition.

Explaining why he left the ACN, Ize-Iyamu said Oshiomhole refused to support his (Ize-Iyamu) candidacy as his successor and that he joined the PDP because he believed the party was the best vehicle through to take him to his destination.

He said: “Oshiomhole himself publicly and privately has come to me to say Pastor I appreciate the support you have given to me. I know how competent you are. When the time comes I will support you to become the governor. If he denies it, it will completely show he is not a man of his words.

“The issue is somebody has consistently promised me to become the governor but with the way Comrade has been going, by 2016, I don’t think there will be any APC for somebody to say he wants to run the ticket on.

“APC today has become an animal farm. Everything we condemned is now in place. The governor wanted to conduct the congress in an undemocratic way by asking me to take five wards and the deputy takes five wards. He was so petrified about Pastor Ize-Iyamu being in control that he wanted me to become a minority.”

Ize-Iyamu returned to the PDP in 2015. He was celebrated with pomp and pageantry. Many aides of Oshiomhole resigned their positions and followed him to the PDP. Pastor Ize-Iyamu got the confidence of former President Goodluck Jonathan and he was made Director-General of Goodluck Campaign Organisation in Edo State. He was given substantive structure of the Edo PDP with which he won the party’s primary in 2016. The manner the party structure was handed to Ize-Iyamu made General Charles Airhiavbere, Matthew Iduoriyikemwen and others to leave the PDP for the APC.

However, Pastor Ize-Iyamu was able to win Edo for the PDP and delivered the Edo South senatorial seat and three House of Representatives seats.

It was gathered that the soured relationship between Ize-Iyamu and Orbih made Orbih to began to search for another governorship candidate for the party for next year’s poll. Ize-Iyamu was fingered in the move to forcefully remove Orbih from office as some PDP members wrote several protest letters to the national leadership citing reasons why Edo PDP deserved a new leadership.

The plot to remove Orbih through zoning of political offices failed as the Edo PDP extended the tenure of  Orbih by 12 weeks and ruled out zoning ahead of next year’s election. Orbih has been the PDP chairman since 2009 after the death of Chief Samson Ekhabafe. He completed the tenure of Ekhabafe in 2011 and he was re-elected in 2011. The party returned him unopposed at another congress in 2016.

It is believed that Pastor Ize-Iyamu will pitch tent with the ruling APC. Some of his supporters said it was to get the party’s governorship ticket while others said it was in preparation for 2023.

Orbih said the exit of Pastor Ize-Iyamu from the party would not affect its fortunes.

His words: “Few years ago when Pastor Ize-Iyamu first left the ACN for the PDP, he said he was coming home. Now that he is going to the APC, he said he is going back home. Is it that he is homeless?

“We are not aware of his leaving. He has not officially informed us. The Edo PDP is intact. The departure of one man will not affect us.”

A chieftain, Chief Bankole Oladele-Balogun, said PDP in Edo State  was not about an individual.

He said: “Our sojourn in opposition has conditioned us to focus on the things that matter to the good people of Edo state. Pastor’s exit is yet to be confirmed by him but it appears that he is gone. He has a herculean task where he is going back to. It is a divided APC.

“The huge corruption and the lack of cohesion on the part of the ruling party and government will propel the PDP to victory. If the truth must be said Edo people are tired.”