Osagie Ize-Iyamu, an aspirant for the Edo State governorship election in September, has said Godwin Obaseki, the state governor, was nowhere to be found when he participated in the birthing of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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Ize-Iyamu, who is battling for the ticket alongside Governor Obaseki, stated this in reaction to comments made by Phillip Shaibu, the state Deputy Governor, over the political crisis in the state concerning the upcoming election.
Speaking on Friday, Shaibu claimed that Ize-Iyamu, s the consensus aspirant for a faction of the party, is not a registered member of Edo APC, and as such not qualified to contest the election.
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“Ize-Iyamu is not a member of the Edo APC because he is not registered in his ward. The constitution is clear on who a member is. He agreed to the fact that he didn’t register at the ward and his ward chairman didn’t register him.
“The constitution says for one to be a member of the APC in the state, he or she must be a registered member of the party in his or her ward,” the Deputy Governor said.
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But in a statement issued by John Mayaki, Director of Communication and Media to Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu Campaign Organisation, the aspirant debunked the claims of the Deputy Governor.
According to him, he participated in the drafting of the ruling party’s constitution in 2014 and, therefore, remains a bonafide member of the party.
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The statement read: “Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu was one of those who not only formed the APC but drafted the constitution of the APC.
“When Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and others were putting the party together, the governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, was not there and nowhere to be found; so how do you expect a man who should be a beneficiary of a house that he helped to build being stopped from gaining access into the house?
“However, knowing the rules, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu went to his ward chairman, Mr Ogbebor, in Ugboko ward in Orhiomwon to say he and his teeming followers were coming back home, and he was given the party card.”
