We've no hand in Abia Crisis - FG

40—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2016
Yakubu emerges as Ize-Iyamu’s running mate
By Gabriel Enogholase
GRASSROOTS politician
and former chairman of
Esan North East Local
Government, Mr. John Yakubu,
has emerged as the consensus
running mate to the PDP
candidate, Pastor Ize-Iyamu.
The decision on Yakubu was
taken weekend, in Benin at a
meeting of party elders with
Ize-Iyamu in attendance.
It would be recalled that the
PDP had earlier zoned the
position of the running mate of
its governorship candidate to
the Edo Central district.
Among those in attendance at
the meeting were notable
Edo North APC leaders battle Central over Obaseki’s running mate
By Simon Ebegbulem
LEADERSHIP of the All
Progressives Congress
(APC) in Edo North and Central
senatorial districts of Edo state are
up in battle over which zone to
present the running mate to the
party’s flag bearer, Mr. Godwin
Obaseki.
APC leaders in the Central are
pushing for the position on the
claim that since the speakership
was taken away from them and
given to Edo South that it will be
unfair to also deny them the
position of running mate.
Edo North leaders are,
however, arguing that unlike the
Central District, that they have
almost consistently given the
bulk of their votes to the APC,
adding that since Governor
Adams Oshiomhole is leaving,
they deserve the position as
compensation for their
continuous support for the APC.
It will be recalled that the
governorship candidate of the
party, Mr. Obaseki had disclosed
that the leadership of the party
would decide on who would be
By Gabriel Enogholase
CRISIS has broken out over
the adoption of former APC
aspirant, Don Pedro Obaseki as
the candidate of Accord as the
state chapter of the party
yesterday disowned the
“national officers” who enthroned
Obaseki as the party’s candidate.
The state chairman of the party,
Dr. Samson Isibor, and secretary,
Emmanuel Idehenren in a joint
statement said that Mohammed
Nalado, who installed Obaseki
as the Accord candidate as
“national chairman” last week
had been removed from office
since 2011.
The state officials in the
statement said: “we the law
abiding members of the Accord
Party have no option than to
disown the said Don Pedro
•Yakubu
politicians from the Edo
Central district, who had been
touted as likely running mates
his running mate.
Among the names being
thrown up for the position in Edo
Central are a leader of the party
in the area, Mr. Victor Eboigbe,
who has been a major financier
By Gabriel Enogholase
THE PDP has accused
Governor Adams
Oshiomhole of denying it the use
of the Ogbe Stadium for today’s
campaign flag-off saying the
denial has worked for the party’s
good in leading it to flag off from
the House of God.
Party chairman, Dan Orbih said
yesterday that after receiving
approval from the State Ministry
of Sports for the usage of the
stadium the ministry turned
around at the last minute to cancel
the approval.
Orbih, who was flanked by the
party candidate, Pastor Osagie
Ize-Iyamu, said following the
development, the party found a
new venue at the Baptist
Convention Ground in Benin,
such as Friday
Itulah, Hon
A k h e r e
Ugbesia, Hon
Felix Akhabue,
Barrister (Mrs)
Philomena
Ihenyen, Felix
Imosili and
Y a k u b u
himself.
Also, present
at the meeting
were the state
chairman of the
party, Dan
Orbih and
leaders of the party across the
three senatorial zones of the
state.
of the party, Prince Joe Okojie,
Peter Esele among others.
Among those being mentioned
in Edo North, Senatorial District
are Philip Shuaibu, a member of
the House of Representatives,
PDP flays denial of stadium for flag off
adding that “hundreds of
Oshiomhole cannot stop the
flagging off on Monday.”
Commenting on the leadership
crisis in the PDP, he said that with
the various judgments delivered
on the matter so far, it was clear
for everyone to see that Senator
Ahmed Makarfi was the
constitutionally recognized
caretaker chairman of the PDP.
He accused Governor
Oshiomhole of sponsoring
Thursday’s factional PDP
primary election held in Edo
State, describing the event as “a
gathering of APC members, who
voted for a suspended PDP
member.”
Also speaking Pastor Osagie
Ize-Iyamu, who regretted the
action of the Edo State
government, said opinion poll
Accord in crisis over Don Pedro Obaseki
Obaseki as the self-styled Accord
Party candidate. We advised him
to desist from using our party’s
name to illegally pursued his
gubernatorial ambition in the
state.”
By Chris Ochayi
THE All Progressive Grand
Alliance, APGA, has
called on the Independent
National Electoral
Commission, INEC, and
security agencies to provide
and ensure a level playing
ground for all political parties
and their candidates.
The party warned that INEC
and the security agencies
must be up and doing and
alive to their constitutional
However, in his reaction, Dr.
Don Pedro Obaseki said,
“INEC’s recognized the
National Chairman of Accord
Party is Alhaji Lawal Mohammed
Nalado and the Edo State
It was gathered that a
consensus agreement was
reached to pick Yakubu as the
running mate as the majority
of the leaders of the party
endorsed his candidacy.
Yakubu, a popular local
government chairman, stirred
controversy when his bid for a
second term ran into trouble in
PDM adopts Ize-Iyamu
By Gabriel Enogholase
THE Peoples Democratic
Movement (PDM) weekend
adopted the PDP candidate,
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, as its
candidate for the election.
former Secretary to the Edo state
Government, Simon Imuekheme
and John Akhigbe, Executive
Director with the Edo state
government.
has shown that the PDP will win
the September 10 governorship
election resoundingly, adding
that 20,000 seats would be moved
to the new venue of the flag off.
However, Edo State
Commissioner for Sports,
Prestley Ediagbonya, refuted the
PDP claim that the state
government denied the party
use of the Samuel Ogbemudia
Stadium, saying that he only
received PDP’s letter dated June
28, 2016, for the use of the
stadium on Friday.
Ediagbonya, who said the letter
got to the registry of the Ministry
of Sports on the 28th of June, said
he could not look into requests
made to his Ministry on
Thursday as he spent the good
part of the day attending a party
function.
chairman is Hon. Joseph Osa
Omorogbe, I have duly obtained
my nomination form from the
National Headquarters and with
INEC Certification in Abuja”.
EDO POLL: We are ready, APGA ...Calls for level playing ground
responsibilities; within the
confines of the law, to prevent
a repeat of ugly trend that
characterized recently
conducted polls.
The party in a statement
issued to newsmen by its
National Director of Publicity,
Ifeanacho Oguejiofor in
Abuja, implored them not to
allow “a repeat of the manifest
sham, total disaster and grave
fraud that happened against
APGA in the Nasarawa/Toto
federal constituency byelection,
in Nasarawa State,
held on May 28, 2016.”
It alleged that during the
election, “the APC
government in Nasarawa
State, some Staff of INEC and
personnel of security
agencies on duty, conspired
against the Party and heavily
manipulated the collated
results and undermined the
interest of the majority of the
voters which was a huge blow
to democracy in Nigeria.”
2012. The PDP claimed that the
state administration annulled
his victory and caused the
election results to be
announced in Benin when the
results were showing him to be
winning the Esan North East
chairmanship election. The
results of the election which
returned the candidate of the
then Action Congress of
Nigeria, ACN were eventually
upheld by the tribunal.
The party said the decision
was taken after its leadership
and some members in Edo
State carefully assessed the
candidates of the two major
parties, PDP, and APC.
Edo State chairman of the
PDM, Nosa Omorodion, who led
some other members of his
executive to the residence of the
PDP candidate, said his party
would make available their
resources for the actualization of
his gubernatorial ambition.
He said he would rally other
smaller political parties in Edo
State to give their support to
Pastor Ize-Iyamu as there was no
need for them to present
governorship candidates that
cannot go anywhere, adding that
the change brought upon the
country by the APC has been
disastrous.
Edo Diaspora
Community
endorse Obaseki
MR. Godwin Obaseki’s
ambition to succeed
Governor Adams Oshiomhole
received a boost Sunday when
members of Edo community in
Diaspora pledged their support
and commitment in ensuring his
success in the election.
A statement from the Obaseki
Campaign Office Sunday said
the Edo Community in Diaspora
endorsed the candidate when
members played host to him and
his entourage in Atlanta, Georgia,
USA.
The statement quoted Edo
Community as saying that their
support for Obaseki became
necessary due to his career profile
and influence in the international
stage. The statement added that
Edo State needs an exposed and
influential governor who can
integrate all citizens across the
world in the support and
actualization of government
policies and programs.
•Obaseki