I Joined Politics To Expose How Politicians Manipulate The Society – Oshiomhole

Governor Adams Oshiomhole, the outgoing Governor of Edo State,  earlier today revealed why he joined politics.

The former labour leader and civil servants turned politician spoke at an event, organised by the Kukah center: titled, “From activism to polical power: the challenges of democratic governance in Nigeria,” he said he joined politics to understudy and expose how politicians manipulate and control societies.

According to Oshiomole, “I joined the ruling class, having been temporarily associated with them, for the purpose of studying them to know and expose the hidden things they use to manipulate and control societies.

“I will be able to say, you know, I know how what you did that time, how much you consumed.

On the issue of change promised by the current administration, the outgoing governor explained that it will take collaborative effort on the part of Nigerians.

“No one of us can change society through individual actions, because the order you seek to change is of ignorance but you need to appeal to it.

“Those gaining from the order cannot be sermonised but by engagement you may probably defeat them,” he added.

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Edo Guber Must Be A Showpiece

The forthcoming governorship election in Edo State promises to task the capacity and wits of all involved. A total of 19 political parties have been cleared to contest the 10th September, 2016 election that will produce a successor to the outgoing governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who has exhausted his maximum two terms of office.

At least 1.7 million voters had until recently been enlisted on the voters register before the recent registration exercise for new voters. The number of voters who have been added to the voters roll has, however, not been disclosed.

The campaigns by the political parties have undoubtedly been heated. It is, however, remarkable that only two political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) out of the 19 parties listed for the contest have been conspicuous in the public space. This development, which had been the trend since the 2015 general elections, suggests that the nation is gradually settling into a two party system with two dominant political parties.

As with all the previous elections in Nigeria, the campaigns in Edo State have not been exactly ideology-based. Rather, they have been energised by personalities within the two dominant parties, with personal attacks rather than issues dominating soap box outings. Emphasis is being placed on personalities rather than their individual abilities to govern effectively based on track records.

It is gratifying that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has so far kept to its timelines for the election. The election management body is called upon also to ensure that the scheduled training of ad-hoc staff and other logistical preparations are achieved within the set timelines.

We also call on the INEC to especially be careful in the recruitment of the ad-hoc staff towards ensuring that it keeps agents of competing political interests from umpiring the process. The security agencies are also urged to maintain a neutral stance in the campaigns and the election proper. State security agents are there strictly to protect the election and those involved in it, and nothing more.

We commend the political parties that despite the high stakes involved there have been no reports of violence. We urge them to continue to maintain the peace as they canvass for votes.

We also call on all the residents of Edo State to maintain vigilance and ensure that the forthcoming election is a showpiece for the entire country.

The INEC must perfect all its logistical acts and ensure that this election is concluded on September 10, 2016 without any need for a rerun.

Vanguard Editorial

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My Cousin, Godwin Obaseki Cannot Be Trusted — Pedro Obaseki

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the PDP governorship candidate, has commended Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki, the Accord governorship hopeful, for what he described as ‘’uncommon courage” of putting on hold his governorship ambition and collapsing his structure within the PDP.

Dr. Pedro Obaseki, a cousin of the APC candidate, Godwin Obaseki, said he had to step down his ambition and endorse Ize-Iyamu because he realised that the PDP governorship candidate is the ‘’best candidate” for the election, describing Governor Oshiomhole and his cousin as unworthy of the people’s trust.

Pedro, who was received by Ize-Iyamu was an APC governorship aspirant before his failed move to Accord, was quoted as describing as shocking, what he termed as ‘betrayal of trust’ on the part of his elder cousin, Godwin Obaseki.

Pedro, who narrated his experience in the hands of the Economic Team leader of the outgoing government of Edo State, said that his ambition and programmes for Edo State tallied with that of Ize-Iyamu.

‘’I will rather support my brother, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu than go with Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s puppet candidate who is still going about with pampers”, Dr. Pedro Obaseki stated.

‘’I will rather support Pastor Ize-Iyamu, who represents the collective aspiration of Edo people than support Godwin Obaseki, who is being promoted by external political and economic investors.”

He said that he would join the PDP candidate’s campaign team as from Monday, promising to expose the ‘’sins” of Oshimohle and his brother to the people of Edo State in the next few days.

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EDO GUBER: I Will Probe Oshiomhole When I Become Governor – Ize-iyamu

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in forthcoming governorship election in Edo State, has sworn that the administration of Governor Adams Oshiomhole must be probed if he wins the September 10 polls.

Ize-Iyamu speaking during his campaign in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area of the state yesterday, further challenged the governor to probe his (Ize-Iyamu) eight years in office as Chief of Staff and Secretary to the State Government.

He said, “I call on Adams Oshiomhole to probe my time in government and look at everything that I did.

“Let him do it because by the grace of God, when I am governor, I will probe him. I will probe him; every kobo that has come to Edo State must be accounted for. That is his fear; that is why he can no longer sleep.”

Ize-Iyamu continued, “Adams Oshiomhole believes that the more he attacks, the more he can hide the truth. He should know that it is not by insulting Ize-Iyamu or Chief Anenih.

“Only recently in a Catholic Church, he met Chief Anenih and he apologized to him on the alter to forgive him. Days after, he was abusing Chief Anenih.

“He says Pastor Ize-Iyamu is bad; Ize-Iyamu is useless. When he appointed Pastor Ize-Iyamu DG (Director-General) of his campaign, he did not know that time.

“When he made him national vice chairman of his party, he did not know then. Now that Ize-Iyamu has left him, Ize-Iyamu is suddenly bad.”

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Obaseki Kicks Off Campaigns, Promises To Industrialize Edo

Mr Godwin Obaseki, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo state, flagged off his campaigns in Edo South senatorial district in front of a mammoth crowd at the APC rally in Benin City.

Obaseki vowing to create jobs for the people of the state, said, “We will make sure we have a government that will use the money of the people for the people. So we will make sure that we will continue to run an open, efficient and responsible government. Edo people in the Diaspora send more money to Edo than we spend in our budget, it tells you how well our people are doing all over the world.

“We have more interests in ensuring that the people of Edo state is one in which the people come first. We want to take sure that our people are economically strong and the way to do it is to attract investment, industries. We will create jobs and the minimum we will do in the first four years is 200, 000 jobs”.

“My priority will be women empowerment. Two months ago we gave micro loans to 15, 000 women, during my tenure that number will increase significantly. I want to assure you that along with our wives, we will not disappoint you” he stated.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole who insisted that Ize-Iyamu will lose woefully in this election, narrated that “In the books of the Edo state government, Pastor Ize-Iyamu as SSG, he signed the minutes where they claimed billions of contracts to dualize the road from Okada junction to Okada town, they even claim to have graded internal roads in Okada town. Today, they collected that money in full but the job was never done and the EFCC has not investigated that job.

“It will have to be investigated. Now that the new IG is investigating the death of Harry Marshal, and Bola Ige, EFCC must come back and investigate all the jobs which Ize-Iyamu and co claimed to have done which they did not do, I will show them the records, the location and they will see for themselves how much was taken and nothing was done. I have the signature and minutes where they claimed to have awarded the Siluko road and Teachers House. Any time they were broke they will say further amendment to the contract.

“Altogether, Ize-Iyamu and co took billions of naira in the name of solving the flood problem at teachers house but the job was never done. Inspite of their monumental crime against the people of the state, they privatize the resources of the state. I will challenge them whether they carry the genuine Bible or not. with Ize-Iyamu as Chief of Staff to Lucky Igbinedion, the very first executive action that took in 1999-2000, was to dismiss all the serving Permanent Secretaries in Edo state, whether they were in Edo Central, North or South."

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Edo GUBER 2016: INEC Releases List Of Parties, Candidates

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have confirmed that 19 political parties would participate in the Sept. 10 governorship election in Edo.

The list signed by INEC’s Head of Legal Services, Mr Mathew Ugwuocha, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also contained the names of candidates being fielded by the parties.

The list contains 19 male governorship candidates, 15 male running mates and four female running mates.

The governorship candidates with female running mates are Mr Thompson Osadolor, KOWA; Adviser Nowamagbe, UPP; Ishaka Ofemile, AA and Ukonga Frank, NNPP.

The running mates are Nancy Ewemade, AA; Florence Okundaye, KOWA; Okosun Davis, UPP and Emodogo Eweha, NNPP.

Others governorship candidates include Osagie Ize-Iyamu, PDP, with John Yakubu as running mate and Godwin Obaseki, APC, with Philip Shaibu, member of House of Representatives, as running mate. (NAN)