The Edo state government has hammered Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu after he sent the party a congratulatory message following Governor Obaseki victory at the supreme Court.
Ize-Iyamu had in a letter to the Governor on Monday, May 31, 2021, surrendered to Obaseki and congratulated him.
Ize-Iyamu also went ahead to make a passionate appeal to the Governor to kindly consider the case of the 14 lawmakers-elect who absconded from the House and refused to be sworn-in, following a disagreement over who should be elected Speaker.
He further begged the Governor to intervene on the issue of elected Local Government Chairmen, Vice-chairmen, Councilors and Supervisory Councillors, who were suspended and removed from office.
But, the Edo PDP in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, rubbished Ize-Iyamu’s message, accusing him of making demands after his “unwarranted, unnecessary, mindless and malicious court cases have collapsed.”
He said Ize-Iyamu lacked locus standi to make the demands, adding that it would have been better and more honourable for Ize-Iyamu to have remained silent.
Nehikhare said: “Now that it is clear that the APC booby traps of unwarranted, unnecessary, mindless and malicious court cases have collapsed, we have entered the season of congratulatory messages.
“Edo PDP thanks all Nigerians especially Edo people that have congratulated us and of course His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki on the resounding victory he recorded at the Supreme Court on Friday, May 28, 2021.
“We were pleasantly surprised to stumble upon a letter from Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the APC candidate in the last governorship election, who incidentally, would have been the main beneficiary had the Supreme Court ruled against Governor Obaseki, PDP and by extension, a vast majority of Edo people. The letter was addressed to Governor Obaseki and obviously deliberately leaked and is trending on social media.
“The letter though titled CONGRATULATIONS, was more of a wish-list of unmerited and contemptuous demands.
“In an attempt to justify his reasons for going to court, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu proffered alternative facts.
“He claimed that he and his party didn’t go to the Tribunal but he failed to inform Edo people that he connived to be added as a respondent in the tribunal cases contrary to law and asked to be returned as Governor. He tried to be clever by half! And besides, when he lost, together with his party, they filed separate appeals which they both lost again! FACT!
“It is contemptuous and akin to busybody status for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu to appeal for an out of court settlement in the case of the 14 former members-elect of the Edo State House of Assembly who voluntarily abdicated their seats and when those concerned haven’t asked for it.
“As a matter of fact, the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, in a well considered judgement, declared the actions taken by the Assembly against the 14 as proper.
“We are therefore constrained to question Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s locus for this request as well as the request made for the former council chairmen and councillors. Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is crying more than the bereaved!
“Frankly speaking, the size of our victory in the last governorship election imposes a very special responsibility on us: To be a Government of high ideals and hard choices. Not popular for one time but remembered for all time. Not just a better government than previous, but one of the great, radical, reforming Governments of our history. To build an Edo, not for a few, but for all the people. And it will require Resetting . Hard choices.
“After carefully perusing the letter addressed to the Governor, we are of the opinion that it would probably have been better and more honourable for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu to have remained silent.
“We may have said we have forgiven, we didn’t say we have forgotten! In our considered opinion, we don’t think the Governor, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki, should dignify the letter with a response or reply.”
