The former National Chairman of All Peoples Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has been advised to apply the break in his desperate campaign moves in Edo State and copy the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as a role model.
Alarmed at Oshiomhole's direct involvement in the governorship campaign which is said to be heating up the polity of the state, the Progressive Governors Forum(PGF) of the party has cautioned him to allow Ize-Iyamu to front his campaign.
PGF Director-General, Salihu Lukman said Oshiomhole should not lead the APC governorship campaign in Edo State.
Urging the former APC National Chairman to “calm down”, Lukman said the party’s governorship candidate in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu should be allowed to lead his own campaign.
In a statement, he signed, the DG of APC’s PGF, urged Oshiomhole to adopt the campaign model of Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the APC that allows the party and candidates to market themselves.
“As opposed to reconciliation, it is loud drums of war that has taken over the airwaves in Edo State. Comrade Oshiomhole has relocated to Edo State and taken over the APC campaign.
“The APC campaign is personalised around Comrade Oshiomhole and the candidate of the party, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is an onlooker.
“We need to appeal to Comrade Oshiomhole to ‘calm down’. This campaign is not about his person.
“If the Edo State APC campaign is to go ahead this way, when APC wins the election who will run the affairs of the state as Governor? Is it Comrade Oshiomhole or Pastor Ize-Iyamu? If our party wants Edo people to vote for our candidate, Pastor Ize-Iyamu must be very visible and be seen as the face of the campaign.
“Comrade Oshiomhole should take a backseat and play the facilitatory role our leaders play in all similar circumstances. Lagos state governorship election since 2007 present a good model. Without any doubt, our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, may be argued to be very influential in the emergence of candidates, from Babatunde Raji Fashola, Akinwumi Ambode to our current Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.”
Oshiomhole and the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki have been involved in a face-off that led to the Governor’s disqualification from APC ahead of the party’s primary election.
It is widely believed that Oshiomhole was behind Obaseki’s disqualification due to their irreconcilable differences.
Against this backdrop, Obaseki had defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were he emerged as the party’s governorship candidate for the September 19 election.
Following Obaseki’s defection, Oshiomhole has been more visible in Ize-Iyamu’s governorship campaign.
The former APC National Chairman had made several allegations against the Governor while urging people of the state to vote for APC’s Ize-Iyamu despite some disparaging comments he made in the past.
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it may suspend the coming Edo and Ondo governorship elections if there is a breakdown of law and order.
Festus Okoye, the INEC national commissioner and chairman, information and voter education committee made the statement at a meeting in Abuja on Thursday, August 6,
The Nation reported. The meeting which was attended by stakeholders deliberated on a number of issues, including preparations for the elections.
Okoye raised concerns over the malicious actions such as destruction of opponents’ campaign materials, billboards, violent campaigns and use of offensive language.
He said INEC was determined to conduct peaceful elections in the two states, adding that the commission will not relent in its responsibility to enforce the rules elections.
Meanwhile, the deputy governor of Edo state, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has said he fell out with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole because he refused to do the bidding of the former All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman.
Shaibu stated this when he spoke to journalists in Benin city, the Edo state capital on Thursday, August 6.
According to him, Oshiomhole wanted him to impeach his boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki, which he said he turned down.
Shaibu said he begged Oshiomhole to let go of any grievance he had against Obaseki because the governor was doing well for the Edo people, a plea which Shaibu says fell on deaf ears.
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