One of the front-runners in the Edo State governor’s race, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has withdrawn from the contest ahead of this Saturday’s APC governorship primary.
sources stating that Ize-Iyamu’s letter of withdrawal dated February 16, 2024 was copied to Jarrett Tenebe, the acting chairman of the party for Edo State, and addressed to Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the party’s national chairman. Ize-Iyamu, who expressed his agony at having to withdraw from the race, mentioned that he had conferred extensively with his loved ones, friends, fans, and political allies before making the choice.
In his opinion, he paid the ultimate sacrifice by withdrawing in order to promote the peace and togetherness that the party sorely needed on a state and federal level.
The party’s previous contender for governor in 2020, he claimed he entered the contest out of love and dedication to the goal of saving Edo State from the current state of decay.
He claims that a few months ago, following long interactions with family, friends, political allies, and supporters, I decided to enter the Edo State 2024 gubernatorial contest because I am passionate about and committed to saving Edo from its current state of disrepair.
Having received permission to compete. I must sadly declare that I’m pulling out of the race. After much consideration and conversation with my family, friends, political associates, and supporters, I have decided to make this hard but necessary decision.
He declared, “I make this sacrifice for the sake of the peace and unity that the party sorely needs at the state and federal levels.”
He continued by saying that he was a progressive Democrat who went into the race ready to vigorously challenge the outcome and embrace it as the product of an honest, reputable, and open process.
He did, however, commend the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) for their efforts in dispelling the false impression that some candidates, including himself, had been disqualified from the gubernatorial race by a contentious screening committee.
The twelve candidates who purchased and filled out the nomination forms were all successfully screened by the NWC, which served as the official screening committee. Clearance certificates were then granted to the successful candidates.
“This action was commendable and contributed to our reputation being restored among the public,” he continued. But he pleaded with the state’s citizens and his supporters to respect his choice, stating that it was deeply personal and that he would always be there for them.
He expressed gratitude to the party’s national leadership for their dedication to democracy and justice, and to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his paternalistic role. He also praised the state working committee for their moral decision to provide equal opportunities for all candidates. As a devoted party member, he pledged to back the winner of the primary.
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