Edo 2020: Ize-Iyamu, Oshiomhole ingrates, not Obaseki – Wike

Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Campaign Council for the Edo State governorship election, and Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and his godfather, Adams Oshiomhole, are ingrates, not Godwin Obaseki, the PDP flagbearer, as alleged by the former National Chairman of APC.

Governor Wike stated this yesterday, when he briefed journalists in Port Harcourt, on some comments credited to Oshiomhole on the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State.

Wike chided the immediate past national chairman of APC for calling Obaseki an ingrate, recalling that Oshiomhole, who had earlier said the PDP governorship candidate was the “brain box” of his success story as governor, cannot deceive the Edo electorate with his antics.

He said Edo people should be wise in the September polls to know that personality character matters a lot in election and should not take their former governor’s (Oshiomhole) remarks when he campaigned for Obaseki in 2016, for granted.

The PDP National Campaign Council chairman berated the APC governorship candidate in Edo and his godfather, Oshiomhole, describing the former as a nomadic and unstable politician.

He stated: “Obaseki is not an ingrate. It is the APC governorship candidate, Ize-Iyamu and his godfather, Adams Oshiomhole, are ingrates.

“In 2016, when Oshiomhole campaigned for Obaseki, he described Obaseki as the brain box of his administration. He said Ize-Iyamu cannot be trusted with money. Now, Oshiomhole has turned round to say the person who was the brain box of his administration is not qualified, and the person who cannot be trusted with money is now the person qualified.

“This election is not only going to base on what you can do, but who you are. Moral is an issue in every election. Character must be an issue in an election. Edo people should say ‘enough is enough’”, Wike charged.

On allegation of corruption, Governor Wike stated that APC’s adoption of Ize-Iyamu as its flagbearer, is a demonstration of the party’s insincerity in fighting corruption.

Chairman of the PDP National Campaign Council noted that, when the APC governorship candidate in the September polls was in PDP, the APC-led federal government tried him on corrupt charges.

Wike said: “All APC is interested in is to get power. The man Oshiomhole earlier said was corrupt, is now more qualified because he is now in APC. When he (Ize-Iyamu) was in PDP, the APC-led federal government tried him on corrupt charges. The party is deceitful”.

Wike called on Edo people to discountenance the APC allegation that Obaseki has declared violence in the forthcoming election, stating that soonest, the modus operandi of APC would be exposed.

He dismissed Oshiomhole’s claim that Obaseki was not qualified to contest as governor, declaring that PDP would scuttle APC’s plot to rig the September election.