Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who recently cross-carpeted from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said that he is not a political Businessman as against what some people are saying about him.
He told some media men during an interactive session at his residence in Benin City, recently that “there are people who are not comfortable with my coming (to APC) and those people have a right to say anything they like.
“What is political businessman in going to a place that you built because well meaning people have told you to go there?
“You know that at the state and national level before you count four persons who contributed to the formation of the party (APC), you will call Pastor Ize-Iyamu.
“If I left a place what is so surprising if I decide to come back? What’s so surprising? And if I came back and openly I could say I am not going to join any faction. (Oshiomhiole/Edo Peoples Movement and Obaseki/Obaseki Solidarity Movement). Do you think anybody would have killed me if I said this is the group (EPM and OSM) that I belong to? Nobody would have killed me. You know that I am not short of courage.
“If I could come out openly and say that I don’t believe in faction, I respect constituted authority, I have no intention of undermining anybody, I have not come to escalate the problem. Rather, I want to be seen as part of the solution. Why are you doubting my words? I have spoken.
“If you choose to believe what they are saying, you must understand where they are coming from.
“What I did in my house with friends and Political associates was a resignation. But not to keep anybody in suspense, we made it clear that we are not resigning to come and consult about where we are going.
“We know where we are going. I made it clear that day that we are resigning from there (PDP) and we are going to this place (APC). Now, that doesn’t stop our members. Having said so, they have a right to immediately move to where we have said. I told you that the real place, to be honest, where you join a political party is at the ward level.
“But if some of us go to our wards quietly, the funfare that the press will love to see, they wouldn’t see it because we’re all going quietly. Will I be carrying you to Igbododo (where his ward is situated in Orhionmwon Local Government Area) just to see me joining my political party?
“But because we are very many and because of the role we played in that party (PDP), it has to become a ceremony. That’s why we are going for that ceremony. But I can tell you that many of them since then have already moved.
“People look at me and they think that I have contested office so many times. It’s only once. In 2007, when everybody thought Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu will contest after been Secretary to the Edo State Government, it will interest many of you to know that not one single poster was printed by me.
“Everybody thought that I would contest. But go and play it back. Not one single poster was printed by me. Even when people told Adams Oshiomhole that “you cannot trust Pastor Ize-Iyamu if you go to him for support, he will never support you.” The man took the risk and he found out that I was not interested. I told him “if you do well, it will rub off on me and if you don’t do well, it will also rub off negatively on me.
“So, it’s not a burning desire. But I really want to be in a party that will want to access government for the purpose of using government effectively for the benefit of our people.
“Between me and you, if I belong to a place and I don’t see that seriousness, I will take a walk because my objective is different. Of course, how long can you live? I also do not want to play politics for too long.
“While I am still young, let me play what role I can play before I retire. I don’t have grandchildren yet but I am praying for grandchildren. When I have grandchildren, it means I should begin to think how to look after them for my children.
“I am passionate about developing Edo state, having a party that will do very well but I am not burning,” Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, added.
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