The thick pall of smoke surrounding the candidacy of the All Progressive Congress (APC) flag bearer Pastor Osaze Ize Iyamu for the September 19 governorship elections is yet to abate. The controversy becomes more confusing as each day passes and now a group known as the South South Professionals Association (SSPA) Abuja Chapter has come out to say the primary that brought him to existence was terribly flawed despite the endorsement by the National Executive Committee(NEC) of the APC.
The group in a statement unanimously contended that the process that produced the popular Benin based pastor was discredited from the start as a result of the unchallenged court verdict that yanked off the then national chairman Adams Oshiomole. That same court order had affirmed Victor Giadom as the acting APC national chairman. Therefore as things stands today, every action taken by Oshiomole and his polarized NWC is totally illegal and non-binding.
Hillary Etta’s court judgment that was obtained afterwards cannot stand and assume superiority over another court pronouncement. Victor Giadom as acting national chairman had nullified the fake primary that brought Ize Iyamu calling it a kangaroo process. Unfortunately, although his own warring faction was recognized by President Buhari and subsequently mandated to call for NEC meeting where the Edo Primary was ratified, that action again cannot stand as it was an action on illegality!
NEC cannot ratify a process that is flawed, i.e. It was an illegal Oshiomole’s faction—removed by the courts—that produced Ize Iyamu which the NEC ratified! The most sensible thing to do was to hastily conduct another primary! So, barring any other development, the APC is likely heading the direction of Zamfara where no candidate was presented. No thanks to Oshiomole’s iron-fisted senseless gambit.
