Ize-Iyamu has no good example to lead by – Osagie

...questionable character can't lead Edo people to promised land

I watched with dismay, a video that has the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 19 gubernatorial election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, flaunting a document he christened Simple Agenda.

One of the planks of the so-called agenda is a promise to lead Edo people by example if elected as governor of the state.

The APC candidate's personality is in public domain and he has been consistent in character since his days in the university as the violent cultist who bathed his fellow student with acid and condemned the victim for life.

Edo people are thoroughly familiar with his ongoing N700 million fraud trial that has dragged for well over three years now, and we possess the reasoning ability to sort through the many unrealistic promises in the Simple Agenda and the truth about the character of Ize-Iyamu, who is facing trial for fraud.

So which example does he want to lead by? Is it the example of a violent cultist that takes delight in bathing innocent students with acid or the example of someone facing trial for N700 million naira? A questionable character cannot lead Edo people to the Promised Land.

His performance in government, as Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff, is dotted with stories that no one wants to associate with.

Edo State parades some of the best and brightest persons in virtually every sector, and one of our best is clearly, Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Edo people take exception to the APC candidate's wishful thinking that we will ignore the compelling evidence about his character, which we are all familiar with, and embark on a voyage to jail with him.

It is even ridiculous, to say the least, that he would describe governance in the 21st century as simple, given the myriad of socio-economic challenges facing nations of the world today, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, ravaging even developed economies.

A manifesto, such as that of Ize-Iyamu, that does not provide for a post-COVID-19 economy is outdated, behind our state's current realities and should be in the dustbin.

Crusoe Osagie is the Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy to Governor Godwin Obaseki