Honouring Legacy, Loyalty, and Leadership: The Enduring Political Relevance of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu
PASTOR OSAGIE IZE-IYAMU: HONOUR MUST BE GIVEN TO WHOM HONOUR IS DUE.
By Kingston Fashe
I make the above statement with utmost seriousness and a deep sense of responsibility as I set out to examine the political trajectory of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu (POI), particularly as it relates to the Edo South Senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming party primaries. Though he has not declared that he will run. His detractors who are afraid of his towering credentials are running from Pilar to post raising dust. They are beginning to paint a good man bad because of his towering influence.
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is a tall man but his achievements are by far taller than him. He possesses an enviable political résumé - one so formidable that it should, by all standards of reason and party loyalty, persuade other aspirants to sheath their ambitions and rally behind him - he is a tested leader. His record of service, strategy, and sacrifice speaks eloquently for itself.
No matter the spanner these rabble rousers may want to throw in the wheel of POI and the governor's relationship, They cannot truncate the upward mobility of the understanding between both men.
One Mr Esosa Igbinowanhia dubiously captured POI's CV as two failed gubernatorial attempts: He is probably too young to properly situate POI's trajectory or he is been economical with the truth.
What better qualification can a man present for higher office than a curriculum vitae forged in decades of political leadership, governance, and party building?
1. Chief of Staff to Governor Lucky Igbinedion (1999–2003):
During this period, the Office of the Chief of Staff under POI became the nerve centre of political activity in Edo State. He enjoyed the full confidence of the governor and played a decisive role in shaping political decisions and stabilising governance.
2. Secretary to the State Government (2003–2007):
As SSG, Pastor Ize-Iyamu transformed the office into the engine room of governance. His tenure afforded the governor a measure of administrative ease, as POI expertly handled sensitive and complex matters, always delivering solutions to the satisfaction of the state’s leadership.
3. Founder of The Grace Group (2005):
The Grace Group emerged as a formidable political pressure group with structures across all 18 local government areas of Edo State. Its formation within the PDP was a response to the overbearing dominance of a political godfather in Edo Central. With the bold slogan *“No Man Is God,”* the Grace Group shook the political landscape so profoundly that President Olusegun Obasanjo reportedly summoned POI to Aso Rock to urge restraint.
4. Midwifing the Oshiomhole Political Movement (2007):
Under the leadership of Pastor Ize-Iyamu, the Grace Group successfully propelled Adams Oshiomhole from the Labour Party into the ACN, laying the foundation for a political revolution in Edo State.
5. From ACN to APC – Ending PDP Dominance:
The eventual metamorphosis of ACN into APC, under POI’s leadership and strategic guidance, marked the end of PDP’s long reign in Edo State. This historic transition from PDP to APC remains one of the most significant political feats in the state’s history.
6. National Recognition within the PDP:
Even while in the PDP, POI commanded immense respect across the nation, culminating in his appointment as Chairman of the party’s National Convention in Abuja - a testament to his stature across Party lines.
7. National Vice Chairman, ACN (South-South):
In the ACN, he rose to the position of National Vice Chairman (South-South), working closely with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was chairman, further cementing his role as a strong national political figure. No
8. Champion of “One Man, One Vote” in 2007:
Alongside Adams Oshiomhole, POI championed the “One Man, One Vote” campaign—an ideological continuation of the Grace Group’s “No Man Is God” philosophy - which eventually secured Edo State for the APC.
9. Midwest Man Of The Year 2010: In recorgnition of his boldness to confront the powers that be, who willed to hold down Edo State perpetually in the PDP, he was awarded Midwest Man Of The Year by the Midwest Times. Former military head of state General Yakubu Gowon was also on the bill that night, they both recieved an award same day.
10. Director-General, Oshiomhole Campaign (2012):
To guarantee victory in his second-term bid, Governor Oshiomhole appointed POI as Director-General of his campaign - another affirmation of POI’s unmatched strategic value.
11. Gubernatorial Ticket (2015):
Following a strain in his relationship with Oshiomhole, POI returned to the PDP shortly before the 2015 primaries. Despite the late entry and fierce competition from political heavyweights within the PDP, he clinched the gubernatorial ticket - proof of his deep cross-party connections and respect.
12. Return to APC and the Unprecedented Homecoming (2018):
POI’s return to the APC in 2018, encouraged by his friend, then National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole. This move was resisted by the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki, who attempted unsuccessfully to block the event. Undeterred, POI hosted the rally in his private residence. The mammoth turnout that day was unprecedented and unmistakably gave credence to his popularity and signalled his widespread acceptance.
13. Displacing a Sitting Governor:
In a rare political irony, Pastor Ize-Iyamu clinched the APC gubernatorial ticket despite Obaseki’s incumbency, forcing the sitting governor to defect to the PDP. Only a master strategist of POI’s pedigree could achieve such a feat.
Some have argued that Pastor Ize-Iyamu lost the gubernatorial election to former Governor Godwin Obaseki. History, however, records otherwise. He did not lose at the polls; he won the votes cast. What transpired at the collation centre remains a well-known episode of administrative manipulation, where state power was deployed to alter the will of the electorate. Mr Esosa Igbinowanhia should be well advised to check his facts before writing.
14. Kingmaker Role in 2023:
Respecting party zoning arrangements in the APC, POI did not contest the 2023 governorship primaries. Instead, he presented Senator Monday Okpebholo - then relatively unknown - who went on to defeat candidates backed by other political heavyweights within the Party and ultimately won the governorship election.
15. His pastoral journey: Osagie was involved in a ghastly moto accident in 1995. God spared his life. He was hospitalized at Igbobi orthopedic hospital Lagos. This was the turning point for him. He became born again and studied theology. He was ordained a minister of God, a pastor, in 1998. He was true and deligent in the service of God, these earned him commendations and commensurate promotions. He is today a zonal pastor in the RCCG in Benin city.
I am a devout catholic, I have associated with him for decades. I testify to Osagie's Piusness as a man of God. I have had reasons to be in his church and listen to his homily at the pulpit. I marvel at his knowledge of God's word and the wisdom of his delivery. He is truly a holy spirit filled man. Considering the high theological standards of Redeem Christian Church of God, he did not become the provincial pastor In RCCG by fluke but by dint of hard work in God's vineyard, shepherding His people. His activities at the church was noticed at the RCCG headquarters in Lagos and they kept promoting him accordingly.
I admonish those people calling him all sorts of names including fake pastor to repent, to avoid the wrought of God.
This piece serves as a reminder that the Edo APC is one united family. It is also a call to conscience - that the same master strategist who guided many through their turbulent political waters is now being encouraged by Edo South leaders to mount the rostrum for the Edo South Senatorial seat.
If these leaders seek to honour
Knowledge,
Wisdom,
Intellect,
Loyalty,
Proven capacity and
A man of God
for representation, it is only just that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu be accorded the honour he rightly deserves. He has paid his dues.
He has ran the race.
He has earned the trust.
He has demonstrated the capacity.
Those seeking to create problems by generating a non existing acrimony between Osagie Ize-Iyamu and his good friend the governor, his excellency senator Monday Okpebholo and spreading same lies on social media will do well to refrain from their nefarious activities.
As I stated in my earlier piece titled “Who the Cap Fits, Let Him Wear It,” I reiterate without hesitation: the cap fits Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
Kingston Fashe writes from Benin city
