By SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN CITY
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, was Secretary to the State Government, SSG in the Lucky Igbinedion government in Edo State, leader of the GRACE group, the political structure that was believed to have pushed forward the Adams Oshiomhole phenomenon on the Edo political turf. Ize-Iyamu, was subsequently the National Vice-Chairman, (South-South) of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He recently resigned from the APC upon simmering differences with other top chieftains of the party in Edo State. He spoke in an interview on his odyssey in the APC. Excerpts:

The APC in Edo State said you resigned due to your obsession for the governorship of Edo state in 2016, what is your take on that?

The issues are more than Pastor Ize-Iyamu. If they say that those who have resigned from the party are just a handful of Pastor Ize-Iyamu’s friends, then let me thank him (APC interim chairman) for giving me a lot of political accolade because those he called handful of my friends are actually the key players that ensured that APC won the election in this state in 2007 and 2012.

Pastor Ize-Iyamu explains ultimatum to Edo
Governor and the resignation of top APC members

Prince Tony Omoaghe was the pioneer state chairman of the party when we adopted Comrade Oshiomhole as our governorship candidate. Alhaji Usman Shagadi was also the pioneer deputy chairman of the party and also a leader of the party in Edo North. We also have Chief Amos Osunbor the Eson of Benin Kingdom.

Hon. Philip Olumese was also the senatorial Vice Chairman of Edo Central. Frank Erewele pioneer organizing secretary of the party, Chief Alemo is a leader of the party in Etsako Central. These were all leaders that pulled out. So for anybody to say only ‘Osagie Ize-Iyamu and his handful of friends pulled out ’ is laughable. It was also mentioned that many of those who attended the meeting assumed it was a regular party event.

Is it Pastor Ize-Iyamu that calls for regular party meetings, when the party events held at Wesley hotel? You acknowledged that an ultimatum was given and rather than wait for the ultimatum to expire we are taking an action. It was clear that the press statement was hastily put together, it is not logical and it does not address what apparently is a very serious issue.

For people who founded the party, major key players in the 18 Local Governments on one day resigned from the party. Not only that, even those holding government positions, Special Advisers, Executive Directors, Board chairmen all resigned, it shows that there is a fundamental problem in the party. Rather than address these issues they are chasing shadows. The congresses and the registrations that took place are the key issues.

And if actually as Osaro Idah said it was due to Pastor Ize-Iyamu’s governorship fixation, why did they cancel the first congresses that took place? The governor came out on TV to lambast the process and admitted that it was flawed. If the second process was credible why have they not proceeded with others? In many places they have not done Local Government Congresses. Two weeks ultimatum that was given by the Etsako leaders of the party.

At the expiration of that ultimatum what happened? And those who attended our first meeting at Wesley hotel which again was well attended, the mandate that was given was quite clear. One, we gave the governor who is the leader of the party ultimatum to address the issues we were complaining about.

Secondly, explore other opportunities and up till now nothing has been done. I don’t want to join issues with the governor, we worked together for some time, no matter what, I don’t want to join issues with him. But I think he should advise his appointees because Osaro Idah even though he claims to be the interim APC chairman, he is an appointee of government, he should get his facts right.

There is nowhere in the whole ultimatum that we gave the governor that the issue of governorship came up. Rather, Osaro Idah’s own statement clearly shows that some of them have a pathological fixation, again to use his word, about Ize-Iyamu’s rumoured intention to the extent that they will not even allow a credible process to take place. The registration that we did, you might ask them, how the names of those who conducted the exercise emerged.

The first congresses that we conducted, how did the names of the people that conducted it emerge? Under the party’s constitution it was quite clear that a stakeholders’ meeting should have been held where the names will emerge. So they should not open the can of worms because they themselves know that the process in Edo State cannot even pass any single test of credibility. And for a government that prides itself as one man one vote, let the people lead, what we have seen is a very sad reflection.

So I advise them to address their problems and not to think any how because if they want to say that it was Pastor Ize-Iyamu and his friends, it means they should concede that Pastor Ize-Iyamu and his friends constituted 80 per cent of APC leadership because those that left are over 80 per cent.

The man that decamped to APC in Egor, was it because of Ize-Iyamu’s ambition? Abubakar Momoh who is a member of House of Reps, was it Ize-Iyamu’s governorship ambition that made them leave the APC? The problem in Edo North that warranted Alhaji Shagadi to resign, was it Ize-Iyamu’s ambition that caused that? There are fundamental problems in the party.

But you were accused of going to Abuja to meet with the President while the appeal panel was still meeting?

I read they also said that those of us who left were actually cancer in the party, by this confession they are trying to say that the party is terminally ill and if they think that the cancer has left because we have left, let me say that they will now realize that the cancer has not left because when you have cancer which is a terminal illness, what it means is that the party is set to die. In the next few days you will see more people leaving the party.

It is regrettable that a party that we laboured to build is going this way. Unfortunately, the governor is being held hostage by people who have no idea on how a party is run and how a party is managed and their utterances have confirmed that. So the press statement is nonsense, it does not address the issues. And what makes you think that because I am in APC I don’t have a right to see the President, it is a joy, it is a privilege.

And there is nothing wrong in interacting with people in other parties. I am not detained in APC, my membership of APC cannot reduce the freedom that the constitution has given to me, to interact and to associate. So for him to say that even going to see the PDP leaders and the President amounts to anti party activity tells you how shallow they are. Nobody forced us into APC and nobody can detain us in APC.

So I sympathise with some persons in APC but it is clear to me that as long as they have the present leadership they have at the state level the party is doomed. And for some us who have little political experience we rather not be there when the party sinks.

What effort did you make to meet with the national leadership of the party before you resigned?

Well the national leadership of the party was fully aware of the problem but I think that they had hoped that the governor will be able to resolve it. I am sure they were hesitant, they don’t want to be accused of undue interference, so they thought that the governor will reach out to those aggrieved.

For many of us we just wanted to give our support to the governor so that he would not be distracted. When things are not going well we talk to him in private so that the public will not know what is happening. This matter from registration to the congresses was done in a manner that some of us don’t understand. After the two ward congresses I complained about many issues that came up during the ward congresses, it took my personal observation and appeal for that appeal panel to be constituted.

It may interest you to know that today nobody has heard anything from that panel. In Orhiomwon where I come from no proper congress was held. Quite honestly it has all been talk and talk but no action. We cannot operate like that. For some of us it became clear that the party was not ready to do any thing about the situation the best they wanted was to make little concession here and there and that was not acceptable.

Do you think that your movement to the PDP is the best option for you given your past actions against the party?

I have great emotions. On one hand I regret that a party that one laboured so hard to build has come to this kind of situation, a lot of regrets in that direction. On the other hand there is some relief that one is leaving a troubled house.

I tell you the truth, the night I announced my resignation I slept very well, I felt better because when you stay in a system that is built on deceit and ingratitude.

When we formed APC we were united and committed but today a lot of hungry fellows have come into the party and what they are interested in is blackmail and all kinds of lies that will enable them get things from the governor. And those of us who do not believe in telling lies and blackmail there is no way we can get Comrade’s attention. So the situation we found ourselves in the past two years has been a painful one.

So I also feel a sense of relief. So in the months and years ahead we will see. There are a lot of jokers who think they can blackmail us. I heard some said he heard that we were given one million dollars to come and destroy APC, I laughed because if it was money we would not have formed APC. It is a matter of principle.