VICTORIOUS Osagie Ize-Iyamu on Monday described the successful All Progressives Congress (APC) direct governorship primary in Edo State as signaling an end to internal crisis in the party.
His main contender, Dr. Pius Odubu, stepped down hours before the primary election conducted in the 192 wards of the 18 local government areas in the state. The third aspirant Osaro Obazee had earlier withdrawn from the race.
In spite of their U-turn, their names remained on the ballot, a development that made 3, 776 delegates to vote for Odubu and 2,724 for Obazee. Ize-Iyamu polled 27,838.
Ize-Iyamu said he was not only happy winning the shadow poll but more elated that it was not marred by violence.
He compared the internal crisis in the state chapter of the APC to a family feud and extended the olive branch to Governor Godwin Obaseki, who defected to the PDP shortly after he was disqualified from participating in the primary.
The governorship candidate said Obaseki needed to return to the APC to avoid the mistake he (Ize-Iyamu) made in the past.
Ize-Iyamu thanked God, President Muhammadu Buhari, the Hope Uzodimma-led election committee and other stakeholders of the ruling party for making the exercise violent-free.
He said: “All the leaders of the APC in the 192 wards, this is the time to fully unite the party. Sometimes ago, somebody asked me ‘when the problems of APC will end?”
“I told him that every problem has an expiry date. In my humble opinion, I said the day we complete our primary election, that day, the problems would end. So, I believe that by this process, which we have just completed, the party is now on the path of full recovery.
“We are going to talk to everybody. We are going to bring everybody back. I want to salute my brother, the governor of the state, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, I will like to plead with him to return to the party (APC). In every family, you have disagreements, let it not be said that disagreements pushed him out. I made the mistake before. I have come to realize that it was a grievous error and I will not want him, as a senior brother, to make the same mistake.
“I will like to plead with him (Obaseki) to set aside his anger and to come back (to the APC). In APC, he is recognized as a leader. In the new party he has gone, it will be difficult to accept him as a leader. It will be nice for him to come back. Certainly, we are ready to work with him and all well-meaning Edo people.
“I am naturally very happy and at the same time humbled by the overwhelming support and the endorsement that I received in the 18 local government areas of the state. So, we want to thank God, the national leadership of APC, the committee that came for the primary, my senior brother, Dr. Odubu and Hon Obazee.
“We also thank President Buhari and our traditional rulers, especially our father, HRM the Oba of Benin, the Police and the Department of State Services for the peaceful atmosphere that characterised the primary.”
Ize-Iyamu also speaking on Channels Television, said “The only godfather I have is God, although I have a deep respect for former Governor Oshiomhole.”
While he attributed his victory to a coincidence of his birthday, Ize Iyamu added: ”This has made me confident everything will become testimony, when the election comes September 19.
“My nomination has made me optimistic I would emerge winner.”
Uzodimma had earlier stated that since Ize-Iyamu had the highest number of votes in the election, he was returned as the candidate of the APC for the September 19 Edo governorship election .
“We will do everything to encourage Edo people to vote for APC so that in a few weeks from now, we will recover Edo State back to APC.”
The collation and declaration of result was observed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr. Johnson Alalibo; personnel of the electoral body in the state and top officials of the commission from the national headquarters in Abuja
Edo State Commissioner of Police, Babatunde Kokumo, and the state’s DSS Director-General, Waziri Mohammed, supervised the tight security put in place for the exercise which cynics had believed would be stalled by the state’s COVID-19 law.
However, the self-imposed Acting National Chairman of the APC , Victor Giadom, has asked INEC not to recognise the primary.
He said in a letter to the electoral empire that he neither authorised nor constituted any committee to conduct the exercise.
Also yesterday, the Federal High Court (FHC) in Benin, adjourned till July 6, the suit filed by allies of Governor Obaseki, on the mode the APC primary should adopt.
The allies are the Deputy Chairman of APC in the state, Pastor Kenneth Asekomhe, and a former aspirant, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, who were penultimate week expelled from the party by the National Working Committee (NWC).
The defendants in the suit are APC; its suspended National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, INEC and Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Adamu.
Presiding Justice Mohammed Umar stated that on July 6, he would decide either to hands off the matter or to go on with it.
At Monday’s resumed hearing, counsel to Oshiomhole, Roland Otaru, said he was not satisfied with the June 18 ruling of the Court of Appeal, Benin and had therefore decided to approach the Supreme Court for further interpretations.
Counsel to Obaseki’s allies, Ken Mozia, said since both parties could not reach agreement, the matter should be adjourned.