It has been alleged that thousands of political thugs brought into Edo State to perpetrate violence before and during the Edo State gubernatorial election by the All Progressives Congress (APC) are at war with their hostess, Idia Ize-iyamu, wife of Osagie Ize-iyamu, who is the candidate of the APC in the September 19, gubernatorial election.
The thugs who have been stationed in Ize-iyamu’s Ugbor residence, family sources say, have been constituting nuisance and pose a great deal of threat to the health of their hosts with the rising cases of coronavirus in the state.
Mrs Ize-iyamu, it was alleged, has threatened to pack out of her matrimonial home if the political thugs from Kogi State do not relocate to the APC Secretariat, as she would not have them turn her house into a smoking and drinking joint.
News of the row between IzeIyamu and his wife broke when Mrs Audu, wife of Gani Audu, running mate to Ize-iyamu and other guests visited recently.
Mrs Ize-iyamu was said to have threatened to pack out of the house if her husband failed to call the miscreants who had shifted political party activities at the campaign secretariat in Etete Street to their residence in Benin City, to order.
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Family sources said she criticised her husband for downplaying the indiscriminate smoking of cannabis within their premises by party associates under the guise of showing solidarity.
Just before Ize-iyamu travelled to Edo North Senatorial District last Friday, his wife drew her husband’s attention to the growing cases of theft (automobile batteries and lawn mower) in their home, a domestic staff told this reporter.
Meanwhile, as the Obaseki campaign entered the second day Tuesday, youths in Ibillo Town, Akoko-edo Local Government Area of Edo State have assured the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, of their unalloyed support, promising to return the governor with a wide margin in the September 19 governorship election.
A cross section of the youths, who spoke when the governor and his campaign trail stormed Ibillo Ward 4 in the council, on Tuesday, said they were totally in support of the governor who had brought development to the area.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Frank Okiye, Tuesday declared that no member of the Edo State House of Assembly endorsed the candidate of the APC in the September 19, governorship election, Osagie Ize-iyamu.
Okiye said this during the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) campaign rally for the September 19, 2020 Governorship election at Ward 3 in the council area. He accused dissident members-elect, whose seats have been declared vacant, of impersonating the leadership of the legislative arm, which was proclaimed by the state governor on June 17, 2019.
A resident in Ibillo, Daniel Ojo, said Obaseki had done well, noting, “We can’t afford not to give him our support. This is the first time Akoko-edo is enjoying massive infrastructural development.”
He said, “The entire Ward 4 is for Governor Obaseki. We are not going to let him down. We need to show him that he deserves his eight years as the governor of our great state.”
“Obaseki’s good work will definitely speak for him. The people are not blind,” he asserted
Another resident, Bidemi Ogunubi, said Governor Obaseki is a great man, adding that pensioners in the local council are proud of him.
“I retired and got my pension benefits within one month of my retirement. My household and I are for the governor.”
On his part, the House Leader, Nosayaba Okunbor, who represented the speaker at the rally, said the Edo State Assembly was intact.
He, however, expressed regret for Emmanuel Agbaje (APC AkokoEdo II Constituency) who recently followed the path of perfidy by accepting bribe to do the bidding of a political godfather in the state.
According to him, “For us in Edo State House of Assembly, we have resolved not to collect money and do the bidding of anyone.”
He lauded Governor Obaseki for his pro-activeness in fighting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the state.
