Ize-Iyamu: A Post Mortem

When Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu threw his hat into the ring in the contest for the September 28th governorship of Edo State, little did he reflect about the impact his unexplained past would have on his prospect.

The baggage from his personal and political past, largely combined to obliterate whatever imaginary whiff of a chance, he thought he had.

To cement his vanishing prospects was the chummy relationship he continued to enjoy with the arrowheads of administration, which misruled the state between 1999 and 2007.

These fundamental flaws made it clear that the pastor-politician would fail to hoodwink the astute voters of Edo State, who turned out on September 28, to execute a decisive electoral verdict on the pastor and his party.

Like the typical predatory politician, Pastor Ize-Iyamu has not bothered to look inwards to examine these deep personal flaws, that made his candidacy a hard-sell.

The pastor and his camp have forgotten how he confessed to being a member of some unholy groups. In pitching his political message they forgot to elaborate on how this curious dimension of his CV added any substance whatsoever to his fitness for governance.

Was it on the cards that he would take policy decisions to members of his fraternity for approval before foisting such on the people?

Voters could not understand the double standard inherent in a Pentecostal, who also belongs and flirt unholy groups which in the Christian worldview would certainly be characterised as dark and ungodly. It is apparent that many of his church members, voting on Election Day would have seen through such abominable contradictions.
On the same medium where he made known the fraternal dimensions of his credentials, the pastor attempted to explain the circumstance that led to his rustication from the University of Benin (UNIBEN) for two years.

What more, the pastor lost the opportunity to dispel worries precipitated by allegations that he was a malevolent personality.

Similarly, the pastor did not deem it necessary to be transparent about his work history. The voters, it must be said, deserved to know about the trajectory of his life, including organisations where he earned his living.

However, what did the voters get in the case of the pastor? They got a muddled-up biography with gaping holes.

Befuddled voters could not fathom much about his employment history and human resource management experience outside the political offices he held.

In violation of the principle of transparency too, the pastor was not convincing in communicating what legitimate sources of income enabled him acquire all the properties said to belong to him.

A cursory look at his profile and biographies revealed that he graduated from UNIBEN in 1986 and left Law School in 1987, and was ordained as a pastor in 1995. He then served in the cabinet of former governor, Lucky Igbinedion from 1999-2007. Incidentally, Ize-Iyamu was silent on what he did from 1987-1999 and 2007-2016.

This PDP candidate is not known to have worked in any law office, though he claimed to be a lawyer – in addition, did he pass Law School? If yes, did he complete the NYSC? What is his employment history from 1987 to 1999 when he became Chief of Staff? All these are shrouded in secrecy.

His sole motivation for contesting must have been the promise by the Igbinedions to produce him as the next Governor of Edo State.

Those who lied to the pastor that they would be the ones to decide who becomes the state governor come September 28th, have now been condemned to bite the dust.
Not many voters forgot the offensive comments by Lucky Igbinedion at his father’s 82nd birthday party in Benin City on September 11, 2016. Those comments validated the concerns of those that feared that Ize-Iyamu was running for office to continue the corruption and misrule that was the hallmark of the Lucky Igbinedion era.

Perceptions were rife that the pastor had received a marching order from the Igbinedion family to revive the failed businesses of the Esama, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion.

Some of the businesses to be resuscitated include Okada Airlines, Canada Dry Bottling Company and the Ritz Hotel brand. The Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS) was also mentioned.

The Igbinedion University, Okada was not left out in the rash of projections around how state institutions would have been stripped.

Ize-Iyamu’s candidacy was associated with the move that would have seen the Igbinedion University receive a special grant from the Edo state government.

Surprisingly, Ize-Iyamu never denied these roles; he in fact wallowed in them.

In the end, the Edo people are convinced that Pastor Ize-Iyamu should have long apologised to them for the ignoble role he played in the looting era of Lucky Igbinedion instead of asking for votes.