The Peoples Democratic Party National Campaign Council, PDPNCC, for Edo governorship election yesterday mocked says the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, for saying that he would follow the footprint of the former APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, if voted into power.
This is as the campaign council maintained that such comment is a direct insult to the sensibilities of the people of Edo State, “who suffered untold deprivation from the massive treasury looting, trampling of human rights, disrespect for traditional institution and suppression of dissenting voices that characterized Oshiomhole’s eight-year rule as governor of Edo state.”
Addressing a press congress at the party’s headquarters, secretary of the publicity sub-committee of the campaign council, Kola Ologbondiyan, said: “it is laughable that after much orchestration, Ize-Iyamu has abandoned his plagiarized simple Agenda, (which, in any case, he had no capacity to execute) to follow Oshiomhole’s detestable ‘go and die’ policy and agenda of falsehood, treasury looting, injecting of confusion and disregard for values, welfare and sensibilities of the people.”
The text of the press conference read in part: “Oshiomhole’s footprint as the governor of Edo state includes intimidation of widows, alleged suppression of personal freedom of citizens, the entrenchment of corruption and unbridled treasury looting, for which the Edo people have been demanding his prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
“That is the footprint Ize-Iyamu said he would be following; the style of an individual who is always associated with engendering confusion, quarrelling, disagreements and disunity.”
The opposition party further added that it was not amazed that Ize-iyamu, “having become overburdened by reputation issues, surrendered the APC candidacy to another individual, who was suspended by his kinsmen at his ward and disgracefully kicked out as the national chairman of his party.
“Given this sad declaration to continue where Oshiomhole stopped, Ize-Iyamu has shown to the people of Edo state and Nigerians in general that he has no credible principles but only seeks to hijack governance for selfish purposes.”
He continued: “With a character like Oshiomhole as the face of the election campaign for Ize-Iyamu, who had also been exposed by the former APC leader as a treasury looter, acid bather and person of questionable character, it is clear that men of goodwill in Edo state have deserted the APC and its candidate. Of course, the Edo people will never follow a footprint that is heading to nowhere.
“That is why Oshiomhole’s antics of fake apologies, deceitful genuflections before Edo leaders and hiring of campaigners for Ize-Iyamu’s rallies cannot sway the people of Edo state to abandon a proven, credible, people-oriented and performance-based administration which they have been enjoying under the PDP candidate, Governor Godwin Obaseki.”
The party, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call Oshiomhole to order even as it said it was aware of moves on his part to manipulate the outcome of the September 19 election.
