Nyesom Wike, the chairman of the National Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign for Edo State governorship election, says Adams Oshiomhole, erstwhile national chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) does more of the talking for Osagie Ize-Iyamu, during campaigns.
Mr Ize-Iyamu is the gubernatorial candidate of the APC and has the support of Mr Oshiomhole, a former governor of the state. When the APC flagbearer contested to be governor using the platform of the PDP, he was described as a thief unworthy of the handling public funds by the former governor who is now supporting him to clinch the position.
The former APC helmsman also said Ize-Iyamu despite leading his re-election was campaign at the time was not given any appointment as he was only good for political thuggery and mid night meetings.
Mr Oshiomhole at the time campaigned for the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki, describing him as the brain behind his administration’s policies when he held sway as governor. But as Obaseki won and was sworn in, they shortly became political rivals leaving his precedessor with the only surviving option of backing Ize-Iyamu who he had verbally disparaged, having been removed at the national leadership of the APC.
But addressing reporters at a media briefing in Port Harcourt yesterday, Wike said for Oshiomhole, the September 19 exercise is a do or die affair and that accounts for why the former governor speaks at campaign rally than the one contesting for the office.
“The best he (Oshiomhole) could do is to lay low and let Ize-Iyamu campaign. You can see that if Ize-Iyamu talks for two minutes, Oshiomhole will talk for 20 minutes because he knows this election will determine whether he will remain in politics or not,” the Rivers State governor said.
“So, he takes it as a do-or-die matter. He knows that losing this election, he is completely out. He has been decimated in the APC national leadership. So, the only thing now is to hold Edo to see that anyhow they treat him in Abuja, he has where to fall back to.
“Now Obaseki is winning, Abuja does not want him, Edo does not want him. So, he has nowhere to go to. This third term agenda is trying to run and Edo people must resist him,” he added.
