EDO CANNOT AFFORD TO GAMBLE: ONE TICKET, ONE MAN, ONE MISSION — IZE-IYAMU FOR SENATE

 

By Comrade Aaron Abiebhode, Political Editor, Esan News Magazine

Edo South does not need a contest. Edo South needs consensus. And that consensus has a name: Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. If we are serious about a Greater Edo South, then the senatorial ticket must go to the one man whose record, reach, and results tower above the field. Anything less is politics. This is strategy.  

Public service is not a slogan for Ize-Iyamu. It is a record. As Secretary to the Edo State Government, he ran the engine room of governance with discipline and an open door. Ministries moved. Files moved. Interventions reached Ugboko, Iyekogba, Egor, Ovia, and Orhionmwon without the usual excuses. As a former Chief of Staff, he proved he understands the mechanics of power and how to convert it into projects, not press statements. As governorship candidate, he campaigned in every ward and left behind structures, not bitterness. That is how you build a senatorial base before you even declare.  

The Senate is not for learners. It is for negotiators who can pull federal presence to their people. Ize-Iyamu has deep connections across board. He speaks to traditional institutions in Benin Kingdom with respect and receives respect in return. He has audience in Abuja without booking. He has bridges to the business community, the clergy, youth blocs, and women cooperatives. Edo South has seven local governments with competing needs. Only a man who can sit with a palace chief at 10 a.m., meet a minister at 2 p.m., and settle a youth congress by 6 p.m. can carry that load. That man is Ize-Iyamu.  

Look at the priorities Edo South cannot postpone. The Benin Seaport must move from paper to pile-driving. Gelegele must become industry, not nostalgia. Sapele Road and Ekehuan Road need federal weight to end the annual erosion ritual. Ekiosa and Oba Market traders need grants and modern stalls, not sympathy. Our graduates need federal job slots and tech hubs. Who among the aspirants has walked these problems for twenty years and still has the phone numbers to solve them? Check the record.  

Unity is not weakness. Unity is weapon. A divided Edo South will send a freshman to Abuja to learn the ropes while our neighbours return ranking senators to chair committees. We will clap from the gallery while others share capital votes. The smart move is to send our most prepared son now. Give Ize-Iyamu a clean ticket and Edo South will enter the 11th Senate with experience, access, and authority on day one.  

This is not about party. It is about performance. It is not about zoning. It is about sense. Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has paid his dues in service. He has built trust across divides. He has the map of Edo South in his head and the contacts to deliver in his phone.  

Edo South, let us not gamble. Let us consolidate. The unity ticket is Ize-Iyamu. The mission is Greater Edo South. The time is now.  

Rally behind him.