Pastor Ize-Iyamu is a victim. A victim of a horrendous power play gone wrong in Edo State politics. He was scandalized, castigated, and his integrity impugned in excess of reasonable judgment. They slandered him, but couldn't find the courage to indict him of any criminal wrongdoing, despite the fact that he didn't enjoy any modicum of immunity at the time.
When they realized that they didn't stand a chance of defeating him in a free and fair election, acting in collusion with INEC, they cooked up bogus excuses and postponed the gubernatorial election for about a month. And when the election came and gone, a popular candidate was defeated. They use the machinery of the state - and by any means necessary - to steal his victory and vanquished the peoples' mandate.
And Benin City went to sleep and silence and disbelief took over a boisterous land reputed for pomp and pageantry. To assuage for the unusual calmness, the next morning, they went about renting some youths to pomp up the vibes and put up a jamboree along Akpakpava Street - a jamboree that was highly deficient in rhythm and public embrace. It was a celebration of fraud, a manufactured lie, and a stolen mandate. I was in Nigeria and I monitored the election in my village, but came back to Benin City later in the day. So, nothing here is hearsay or internet-based research. And that was 2016.
When they realized that they didn't stand a chance of defeating him in a free and fair election, acting in collusion with INEC, they cooked up bogus excuses and postponed the gubernatorial election for about a month. And when the election came and gone, a popular candidate was defeated. They use the machinery of the state - and by any means necessary - to steal his victory and vanquished the peoples' mandate.
And Benin City went to sleep and silence and disbelief took over a boisterous land reputed for pomp and pageantry. To assuage for the unusual calmness, the next morning, they went about renting some youths to pomp up the vibes and put up a jamboree along Akpakpava Street - a jamboree that was highly deficient in rhythm and public embrace. It was a celebration of fraud, a manufactured lie, and a stolen mandate. I was in Nigeria and I monitored the election in my village, but came back to Benin City later in the day. So, nothing here is hearsay or internet-based research. And that was 2016.
Today, things are no longer at ease for candidate Pastor Ize-Iyamu. And it is becoming more difficult for him to navigate the same terrain in comparison to the overwhelming acceptance that his ticket garnered in 2016. Not necessarily because anything has changed about him. It all comes down to show me your friends and I will tell you who you are. Pastor Ize-Iyamu is hunted, doubted, and resented by the ghost of the forces that are fighting his opponent. And that is the Iyamu's worst nightmare - the turbulent storm of Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, which may either sink him politically or bolster his checkered quest for the Osadebe's avenue for good.
At this juncture, I demand that we judge him on what he was found guilty of and not what was said about him. He was never a President, Vice President, Governor, or Deputy Governor. So, he was never at any time in his political career, under the protection of Section 308 (the Immunity Clause) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. If he was not under any immunity and they had credible evidence of culpability against him, how come they did not indict and prosecute him?
In a similar vein, I demand that Governor Godwin Obaseki be scrutinize based on his performance in the last four years. Impeachment proceedings because the opposing political party enjoys a majority vote in the House of Assembly is not a license to subvert justice. You must have credible cases bordering on abuse of office. There are numerous ways to checkmate the excesses of the executive branch besides impeachment. You can vote to curtail his excesses, if at all, as well as spending power via oversight and public hearings. That is the best approach to placing his programs and policy formulations under the radar and subjecting them to public scrutiny.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS.
I have nothing personal against the golden child. Based on the fact on the ground, he is just another average-performing governor. He gave out loans to farmers and other petty traders. And thanks to the Chinese Multinationals and their imported workforce, he is building a Modular Refinery. Edo State voters, writers, bloggers, and intellectual wannabe should be bold enough to demand an explanation from the Governor concerning the percentage of Edo State-born Engineers and Accountants who are working in management positions in the venture. Please, I am not talking about welders and unskilled laborers.
You cannot continue to engage in outsourcing, thus, denying Edo State indigenes of employment opportunities and expect a blanket endorsement. This is not about Comrade Adam Oshiomhole or Pastor Ize-Iyamu. What about the existing state-owned business? How come he has not been able to revive any of them? Voters should be asking these questions to both of the candidates
Granted, I am not a fan of Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, but his sins cannot confer legitimacy or endorsement on a Governor who hijacked the legislative process and inaugurated only nine out of the twenty-four members elected into the Edo State House of Assembly by the voters of Edo State. (As you are reading this, the rooftop of the Edo State House of Assembly is gone, thus putting a lie to Motesguieu's theory of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances).
You cannot continue to engage in outsourcing, thus, denying Edo State indigenes of employment opportunities and expect a blanket endorsement. This is not about Comrade Adam Oshiomhole or Pastor Ize-Iyamu. What about the existing state-owned business? How come he has not been able to revive any of them? Voters should be asking these questions to both of the candidates
Granted, I am not a fan of Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, but his sins cannot confer legitimacy or endorsement on a Governor who hijacked the legislative process and inaugurated only nine out of the twenty-four members elected into the Edo State House of Assembly by the voters of Edo State. (As you are reading this, the rooftop of the Edo State House of Assembly is gone, thus putting a lie to Motesguieu's theory of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances).
So, let's give Governor Godwin Obaseki a chance to sell his candidacy, not on what the former Governor is saying or has said about him, but on what he has achieved in the last four years, juxtaposed with what Comrade Adam Oshiomhole achieved in his first four years in office. That's should be the benchmark. Though every Governor deserves a second term, it shouldn't be an automatic license. Let's measure it on the threshold of his performance against what other high-achiever Governors have done or are doing.
And I also demand that Pastor Ize-Iyamu be assessed, not on the premise of the allegations leveled against him by Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, but on his blueprint, trust, track records of performance as a key figure in the administration of Governor Lucky Igbinedion as well as Governor Adam Oshiomhole. What policy or program did he influence when he served the two former Governors? That's should be the approach.
CONCLUSION.
On a final note, winning an election mustn't be a do or die thing. After all, it is a democracy. It is not called the government of the people and BY THE PEOPLE for the fun of it. For God's sake, we should demand of the two candidates to tell us how they are going to revive ALL THE ABANDONED STATE-OWNED VENTURES in Edo State. Period. We want to see Bendel or Edo Line running again. I want to see Edo Brewery back to form. These are supposedly profit-making ventures that if well managed will have a spiral positive impact on the economy of Edo State - job creation and a steady supplemental revenue source for the government to run our educational system and the healthcare sector. The time is now to articulate the solutions. Enough of those stupid songs at campaign rallies.
And I also demand that Pastor Ize-Iyamu be assessed, not on the premise of the allegations leveled against him by Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, but on his blueprint, trust, track records of performance as a key figure in the administration of Governor Lucky Igbinedion as well as Governor Adam Oshiomhole. What policy or program did he influence when he served the two former Governors? That's should be the approach.
CONCLUSION.
On a final note, winning an election mustn't be a do or die thing. After all, it is a democracy. It is not called the government of the people and BY THE PEOPLE for the fun of it. For God's sake, we should demand of the two candidates to tell us how they are going to revive ALL THE ABANDONED STATE-OWNED VENTURES in Edo State. Period. We want to see Bendel or Edo Line running again. I want to see Edo Brewery back to form. These are supposedly profit-making ventures that if well managed will have a spiral positive impact on the economy of Edo State - job creation and a steady supplemental revenue source for the government to run our educational system and the healthcare sector. The time is now to articulate the solutions. Enough of those stupid songs at campaign rallies.
On a lighter note, the gods, the spirit, the enimhin, and all the ehi of the people of Esan tribal region are angry, exasperated, and grieving unceasingly. They have begun to unleash their fangs induced by pains on the political power in the state for the marginalization visited upon their children and for usurping the governorship right that belongs to them. And until there are atonement and public acknowledgment and restitution for that blatant hijack, peace will remain on the flight mode in the affairs of the state for the long haul.
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