The Race To Edo State Government House

Hendrix Oliomogbe x-rays the chances of some of the contenders for Governor Godwin Obaseki’s job ahead the governorship election holding in Edo State in September.

If Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State is to take a quick glance at his right shoulder, lurking behind him will be the shadows of former All Progressives Congress (APC) zonal vice-chairman, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu; ex-Edo deputy governor, Dr Pius Odubu; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the 2012 election,

Major General Charles Airhiavbere; Mr Chris Ogiemwonyi and Mr Saturday Iwulekhue. All five are fellow APC members, hustling to displace him from the saddle and take over the reins of power as governor, come November this year.

A gaze to the left side of the incumbent governor will reveal the resolute sight of a member of the House of Representatives, Dr Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama and Mr David Ikhine.

The duo are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who have also expressed their determination to grab the ticket of the main opposition party in their bid to displace Governor Obaseki from the state Government House in the election, scheduled for September 19 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

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Ahead of the primary, the tempo of political activities in the state has accelerated, as the ruling party is set to roll out its timetable. Should Governor Obaseki however have his way.

There will be no contest as he should be given the right of first refusal, a demand which the other aspirants and the national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, are not dispose to, hence, the APC primary, which is scheduled for June, must hold, going by the trend of events.

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Notwithstanding the plethora of aspirants, it is the belief of many politicians and analysts that Pastor Ize-Iyamu and Dr Odubu are Obaseki’s main challengers for the APC ticket.

The governor, for sure, will be facing the greatest political battle of his life as his erstwhile political godfather and now national chairman of the APC, Oshiomhole and some party leaders have all deserted him, following the ongoing crisis in the party since the last general election.

Dr Odubu, a former two-term member of the House of Representatives, is said to be a consummate politician with a strong grass roots appeal. The former deputy governor under Oshiomhole is reputed for his doggedness and commitment to party ideals which many said is a plus to his aspirations. His support base cuts across political divide and spreads across the 18 local government areas of the state.

A team player who is always calm under fire, the ability of the former deputy governor to keep his loyalists together speaks volume of his political sagacity and this, it was learnt, has endeared him to many politicians who are supporting his quest to govern Edo State.

Pastor Ize-Iyamu is a household name in the state. He has a strong political structure built across the three senatorial districts. He was in former Governor Lucky Igbinedion’s PDP-led government in the state from 1999 to 2007. He was first appointed as Chief of Staff and later Secretary to the State Government (SSG) where he wielded enormous power. It was believed that most of the decisions and policy thrust of that administration were cooked in his office.

Ize-Iyamu was credited with the formation of the Grace Group, a political pressure group within the PDP that then was a thorn in the flesh of the late PDP BoT chairman, Chief Anthony Anenih.

The group merged with the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) and later the Action Congress (AC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and finally APC. He was said to have played a prominent role in the emergence of Oshiomhole as the governor in 2008 but left the party following irreconcilable differences with the comrade-governor in 2015.

He defected to the PDP where he became its candidate in the 2016 election but lost to Obaseki. Ize-Iyamu, however, returned to the APC late last year.

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Source: Nigerian Tribune

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