#EdoDecides: I’ve always said Ize-Iyamu is not a pastor… he lies effortlessly - Oshiomhole

Adams Oshiomhole, governor of Edo state, says Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the ongoing governorship election, is not a pastor because he “lies effortlessly”.



Ize-Iyamu, who directed Oshiomhole’s successful second-term campaign just four years ago after which the pair fell out, is a pastor.

However, Oshiomhole believes his former ally is not worthy of the honour for claiming that some All progressives Congress (APC) governors — including Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos and Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna — were in the state to help the ruling party rig the election.

“I have always said that Ize-Iyamu is not a pastor because one of the 10 commandments of God includes… but the man claims to believe in Jesus Christ, lies effortlessly like a pathological liar, and he insists he must be addressed as a pastor,” Oshiomhole said.

“Governor Ambode is too busy in Lagos and he is not registered to vote in Edo. Governor Ambode is a golden fish, there is no hiding place for him so where did they find him? Let them produce the photograph.

“It is because of the nature of our democracy… people who have criminal records are not supposed to vote. I am sure Governor Ambode is in Lagos doing what he was voted to do and we don’t need his help to come and vote for us because he didn’t need my help to vote for him in Lagos.

“El-Rufai is not here and if there is a place where the media is visible, I believe it is Edo state. Is it really in the mouth of a non-believer to parody the truth? You are the people who have the training/skill for what elsewhere is called investigative journalism, so it is for you to go round everywhere and find out whether any of these people are in town.”

Oshiomhole said Ize-Iyamu was making those claims because PDP was already “smelling defeat” and needed to create distractions.

“The world has changed that even pathological liars have limits to how much lie they can tell, you know. The PDP is already smelling defeat; they want to start the process of creating confusion and distraction,” he said.

“You see, we are using valuable airtime now to discuss non-issue but I challenge the media, and this is sometimes my frustration, don’t take it from me, don’t take it from them. There are many ways to establish where the man is.

“The world has changed; we are no longer in an analogue age where one-eyed man can be leading blind men. Nigerians are not blind and a blind-eye pastor cannot lead us. So, please, let’s spend our time discussing serious issue.”