Hon Tony Osazuwa was a Councilor and Vice Chairman in Orhionmwon Local Government Area, he recently resigned as the special adviser on legislative matters to the Edo state House of Assembly speaker, Hon Uyi Igbe and decamped to the PDP. In this interview, he spoke in defence of Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu on his defection from the APC to the PDP with AMULE RAFIU.
How will you react to the fact that your leader and PDP chieftain, Pastor Ize Iyamu was accused of masterminding the attack on the legislative quarters and the crisis in the Edo State House of Assembly?.
It is untrue and the accusations represent mischief. It is already a common knowledge that the man Adams Aliu Oshiomhole, is the chief of all mischiefs.
The PDP as you know does not support violence of any sort because development cannot be achieved in the midst of violence. You will recall that before the attack on the legislative quarters, a group of youths under the aegis of Concerned Youths of Edo State, had addressed the press where they frowned at the crisis in the Edo State House of Assembly which has led to the House having two different Plenaries and factions and they went further to say they were also concerned about the progress of the state and wish to wade in to ensure peace in the state.
We were reliably informed and judging by the picture of Hon Razak Momoh on whom the attempted murder was launched, his battered frame in a pool of blood displayed on the internet with the inscription (RIP)Â (Rest in Peace) within 25 minutes after he had been seriously beaten in anticipation that Hon. Razak was dead, the hired thugs went to collect their balance from their employers who called the bluff of the thugs warning them not to ask for their balance because the victim, Razak Momoh was said to be recuperating in the hospital. What it means was that the instruction was for them to murder the lawmaker. The thugs who were infuriated as a result of the refusal of their employer to pay them the balance, came back to attack the legislators quarters to demonstrate their grievance. I will advice the police to investigate this line of action because the thugs’ action could probably be as a result of the refusal of their pay master to give them their balance.
In summary, Governor Oshiomhole and the APC lied when they accused Chief Dan Orbih of being the brain behind the mayhem. Secondly, the governor at the Ikpoba Okha rally as well, accused Pastor Ize Iyamu that the attack was coordinated in his compound/office, and also accused Lucky Imasuen, Mayor, Osarobo Idehen and others of the same allegations. He resorted to talking from all sides of his mouth. Even at Abuja, the governor lied when he said in an online medium that he accused Pastor Ize Iyamu of the legislative quarters attack when the president came for the foundation laying ceremony of Azura-Edo plant, forgetting that the incident happened the next day after the visit of the president. The question is how can the governor say he accused the Pastor when the event had not taken place? So, when a man tells a lie, he needs to tell hundreds of lies to justify the pervious lie.
The man is overwhelmed by the crisis he has created to the extent that he could not remember that Mr. President had come and gone the previous day before the Saturday attack on the legislative quarters. The state party chairman, Anslem Ojezua, also gave a different statement on AIT that Hon. Razak Momoh was beaten up by members of his cult but he failed to tell his viewers the name of the cult. So, You will agree with me that these people are full of lies and happily enough, Edo people now know them to be liars, hypocrites and by the special grace of God, Oshiomhole and his APC will be rejected in the February elections. It is then he will realize that Edo people have rejected him and his APC in the state.
What will you say about the alleged assault on the APC state publicist, the Chief of staff, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere and other APC leaders who accompanied Oshiomhole to welcome the President at the airport as claimed by Comrade Godwin Erhahon?
I want to say these on good authority that on the day of the President’s visit, Professor Ihomvbere stood very close to Pastor Ize Iyamu who was dressed in white. If you ask Prof. Ihonvbere inspite of the fact that he is the secretary to the government of Oshiomhole and a member of the APC, I am very confident that he will not lie. He will confirm that even in the midst of the confusion at the airport when people were booing Oshiomhole, the Prof still stood close to Pastor Ize Iyamu and they held each others’ handS and were discussing. So when the publicity secretary of the APC, Mr. Godwin Erhahon made that allegation, he was trying to further curry favor from the government because if you look at him, he doesn’t look good physically at all. The man is hungry. Afterall, his boss, Anslem Ojezua, the APC chairman on his part looks rehabilitated now compared to before. But my brother, Godwin Erhahon, still looks shabby and unkempt which means they are not taking care of him. If you look at him on television, you will pity him. He looks like a slave bought with money so he is trying to impress the governor and we expect him to tell more lies. The man is struggling to buy the attention of the governor so that he can well be rehabilitated with the tax payer’s money like tha Anslem Ojezua.
How about the rumored desperation of Pastor Ize Iyamu’s governorship ambition?
Why should Godwin Erhahon and the APC cry more than the bereaved if there is one? The PDP is not complaining. They are celebrating with Pastor Ize Iyamu for coming with his large followers and supporters from across the 192 wards of Edo state to add value to the party. The pastor has not even mentioned anything about his ambition. In any case, he is eminently qualified to context as a governor. The man is busy and concerned about the February 2015 election. The man is adding value to the PDP from the unit level to the state; Adams Oshiomhole and the APC should leave him alone and allow the PDP to appreciate his worth. You may want to know my brother that the PDP has been so refined that you don’t need to give any party leader money to get endorsed. The point is that there is no old or new. What we all know is the PDP and the leadership of the party which includes Pastor Ize Iyamu is galvanizing the party from the unit level to the state level.
I want to reiterate that Pastor Ize Iyamu did not leave the APC because of his governorship ambition as claimed by Oshiomhole and his APC; he has never been desperate about governorship. The man of God left the APC because of absolute lack of internal democracy and the presence of the governor who is more Machiavellian than Marchevelli.
