Godfather, PDP crisis distracted Igbinedion – Ize-Iyamu
BENIN CITY—South South Vice-Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, weekend, spoke on the administration of Governor Lucky Igbinedion, saying that a godfather, who saw himself as a mini god and the factional crisis that engulfed the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, then, distracted the administration.
It will be recalled that the crisis between Governor Igbinedion and Chief Tony Anenih, factionalised the PDP in the state then, which eventually led to the defeat of PDP at the general elections that brought in Governor Adams Oshiomhole of ACN.
He explained that contrary to insinuations that he was part of those that ruined the administration of Governor Igbinedion, “I was not the most powerful in government then, I was the Chief of Staff and later Secretary to the State Government and I don’t award contracts or was I incharge of any ministry, but people misconstrued my simplifying the offices of the COS and SSG to a level that created industrial harmony in the state and goodwill for government to mean that I was very influential.”
Ize-Iyamu who bared his mind in a lecture entitled “Political Governance in Edo State: 1999 Till Date,” organised by Edo Political Forum, noted, however, that it would be wrong to describe the administration of his former boss, Governor Igbinedion as a total failure, due to some remarkable achievements the administration made in the areas of health, war against human trafficking, payment of N500 million debt inherited during the military, insisting that the PDP leadership then distracted the administration as regards infrastructural development.
“The PDP that produced the governor of the state between 1999-2007 had no manifesto, blue print or plan for governance and Edo State was actually personified by one lead character that was literally worshipped as the owner and giver of political power. The pressure and subtle threat from the god father and his supporters was excessive and distractive in the process of project planning and execution as well as management of resources of the state.”
He said that unlike the incumbent Oshiomhole, who will quickly bare his mind on issues, Lucky Igbinedion “has always been a man of few words but silence is not always golden. In the world we live in, silence can easily be misconstrued.”
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