Stories By Tony Osauzo
The vision and mission of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu in politics is not for personal gains but for the welfare of the people.
Making the remarks in Benin at Christ Embassy Church, wife of the PDP candidate, Dr. (Mrs) Osagie Ize-Iyamu urged eligible voters to remain focused on giving their mandate to him in the rescheduled September 28 election.
In a statement by the Ize-Iyamu Campaign Organisation and signed by Tenet Iredia, she appealed to women and all eligible voters in the state not to allow the postponement of the election to dampen their enthusiasm.
She observed that other extraneous reasons might have been responsible for the postponement of the election but stressed that the primary concern of eligible voters was to ensure that they did not succumb to tricks and antics of the APC in the state.
While further advising them not to sell their PVC as this would mortgage their future, she said that all would be well at the end of the election when a new government comes into power.
“You all have sacrifices to make if you want to enjoy democracy. No matter the attempts or conscious efforts by the opposition to discourage you from voting, be resolute and determined to give your mandate. This is the time to take your destiny in your own hands. Secure a good welfare package for your husbands and your children with your voter cards,” he said.
Dr. Idia who regretted that many youths with talent, creativity and vision were wasting away in the state because of bad governance said that the SIMPLE Agenda which contains PDP manifesto would be helpful to them.
The Consultant Orthodontist and senior lecturer, University of Benin said that Pastor Ize-Iyamu was a staunch believer in God, adding that when he is in power, Edo people would rejoice. According to her, Ize-Iyamu had found it not only necessary but desirable to seek the face of God and solicit blessings and prayers from fellow pastors.
Responding, the Christ Embassy, Benin, zone One, Pastor Moses Olayemi thanked God for Ize-Iyamu’s faith, courage and boldness, wishing him success in his enterprise.
He advised the PDP candidate to make a vow to God, saying that ‘if God says yes, no man can say no’ and prayed that God should keep terrorists and other mischief makers busy ‘outside the election’
In a related development, Mrs Ize-Iyamu also paid similar visit to some mosques in Benin where she said that all men were created by one God while urging all Muslim women to vote for the PDP candidate.
Lassa fever: Obaseki advocates vigilance, pledges better healthcare
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that boosting education and improving healthcare delivery in the state are a critical part of his prosperity agenda for Edo people.
Speaking while receiving a group of young medical students who paid him a courtesy visit in Benin City, Obaseki noted increasing reports of Lassa fever cases across the country and charged health officials in the state to strengthen epidemiology surveillance and response in order to curtail the spread of the disease, promising to boost healthcare facilities for improved service delivery when elected.
“Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital is one of only two hospitals in Nigeria with functional laboratories for testing and confirmation of Lassa fever disease, and we must leverage on the institution’s expertise to ensure an adequate state-wide response in case of an outbreak.
“We must not wait till there is an epidemic in Edo State before we take action. With the rising cases of Lassa fever across the country – including neighboring Delta – health institutions in the state must remain vigilant, and increase epidemiology surveillance and response so as to prevent an outbreak. We – the people – must also pay more attention to sanitizing our environment and keeping our homes and communities clean. Improved personal hygiene will also go a long way in keeping our families safe and in good health”, he admonished.
The APC standard bearer acknowledged the remarkable efforts of the current administration in revitalizing healthcare institutions in the state, adding “our administration will continue the good works of Governor Oshiomhole by ensuring that our hospitals are equipped with modern health care facilities and staffed with sufficient and well trained care givers for better service delivery.”
Esan Elders slam Oshiomhole over role in poll shift
A group, Esan Elders’ Forum, rose from a meeting at the weekend with a review of the events that culminated in the postponement of the September 10 election.
The group condemned the Governor Adams Oshiomhole for portraying the state as a safe haven for terrorists and militants.
In their communique signed by the Forum’s Director of Publicity, Mr Law Odiase, the forum said that the deliberate efforts to portray Edo State as a safe haven for terrorists and militants by Governor Oshiomhole on Channels Television on Thursday, September 8, 2016, is condemnable and considered as the height of hypocrisy by a man who is supposed to be the Chief Security Officer of the State.
The meeting said that the postponement of the election to Wednesday, September 28 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), acting on a trumped-up security advice by the police and the Department of State Service (DSS) was not in the best interest of the generality of Edo people, pointing out that the shift to a weekday was capable of disenfranchising registered voters in the state.
According to them, “the security report which formed the basis of the postponement despite the dispatch of 25,000 strong team of the Nigerian police, military and paramilitary forces is an indictment on the security agencies in Nigeria, which cannot guarantee security for a state election.
“Edo State remains one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria and must not be labelled a militant or terrorist state because of governorship election by overzealous and ridiculous politicians, “ they said.
They declared that politics is not war and condemned the “violent and organized assassination attempts on High Chief, Raymond Dokpesi, Hon. Pius Odubu and, recently, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu,” saying the acts “portend greater danger for our democracy.”
They called on President Muhammadu Buhari to be a true statesman, play less partisan politics and let the people of Edo State elect the candidate of their choice.
According to the forum, “The problems of the lingering economic recession and its crushing effects on the people of Nigeria, irrespective of party affiliations, should be the focus of the Federal Government, as Nigerians are now desperate for the desirable change promised.
It urged Edo people not to vote for a surrogate candidate but “a governorship candidate who is articulate and able to grapple with the present reality, able to present himself and his party’s manifesto; a candidate who can rescue us from the multiple tax regimes in Edo state.”
“Esan people should not be deceived again. Don’t sell your votes today and suffer tomorrow,” the forum pleaded, reminding them to rally round their son, John Yakubu, who is the deputy governorship candidate of the PDP.
Poll shift: Campaigns will now be difficult, says PPA candidate
Governorship candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) Thomas Sadoh, has lamented the shift of the conduct of the gubernatorial election, saying that campaigns would now be difficult for him and his political party because the shift has affected the party’s coffers.
He said the party rounded off its campaigns last Thursday before news of a new date was announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking to journalists in Benin, the PPA candidate noted that the postponed election would not tell a positive story about the politics of Nigeria.
According to him, the security challenges listed as reasons for the postponement of the election were bogus because Edo State was not listed among the states with flash points as released by security agencies.
He insisted that he would win the election as he was not ready to step down for any candidate or mobilise his supporters for any other political party.
“The postponed election is going to tell a lot of stories on the politics of Nigeria. I don’t think the story is going to be positive. It is going to tell a bigger story on my pocket and the coffers of the Progressive Peoples Alliance.
“Election in Nigeria is capital intensive and my party is not buoyant as the two other political parties. It is going to be difficult for me to go round again on campaigns because we thought we had stopped our campaigns last Thursday.
“I keep telling people that Oshiomhole has written his handover notes and he is going to hand over to me. If I want to step down, I would have done that. I have two weeks to fortify my arrangement. I am taking the campaign full blast to the last day of the election. The election victory will be a birthday gift for me.”