Politics
Edo 2016: Disappointed by Oshiomhole, Esan throw weight behind Ize-Iyamu
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has been adopted by Esan people of Edo state as their candidate for the September governorship election.
They say he will not betray them like the present government of Adams Oshiomhole.
About 30 traditional rulers from Esan land in Edo Central endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, at the palace of the Ojuromi of Uromi, His Royal Majesty, Anslem Eidenojie.
They accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government of Oshiomhole of marginalising the people of the zone, lamenting that Esan people have been made second-class citizens in their own state.
Speaking for the traditional rulers, the Ojuromi of Uromi, said, “We know you very well. You are a man who has a direct relationship with every Enigie (traditional ruler) in Esanland. You are a son of the former Esogban of Benin Kingdom. You are a son of tradition. Your father served in the palace without blemish. He did not betray the palace.
Read also: Edo, too rich to be poor, Ize-Iyamu laments
“We the Enigie in Esanland believe that if we give you our support, you will not betray us. With the caliber of men and women behind you, we know you will not come to Esanland to deceive us. We want to say that Esan Nation is part and parcel of this state. We know how much we have been relegated in our own state, and we are very unhappy about it.”
Meanwhile, the former chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, has accused Governor Oshiomhole of plotting to obliterate the Esan people through marginalisation.
He said this at the Edo Central PDP governorship flag off at Okpujie Primary School, Uromi, adding, “Today, there is no water in Esanland. I pleaded with the president then to give us water, and he awarded a contract of N1.2 billion for Ugbalo Waterworks.
“Oshiomhole was asked to pay the counterpart fund of about N300 million, up till today he has refused to provide the money. That is why the water scheme has not been completed. He does not want us to have water. Esan race is being extinguished by Oshiomhole, but we will not allow it; we will resist it”, he said.
Ebere Ndukwu …
RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...