Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Sept. 19 Edo Governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has denied being under pressure from party leaders to accept defeat.
Ize-Iyamu stated this in a statement on, Thursday, while reacting to a report in the newspapers, urging the various media agencies to desist from speculative reporting.
In the statement signed by his Director of Communication and Media, Mr. John Mayaki, he said, “I was shocked this morning when I saw reports saying I begged Obaseki to return to APC after the election. While immediately responding to it, another one emerged. I will restate that I never begged him to return after the election. I deliberately did not reply when I saw all that rumour on the social media with people tagging me in them.
"Now I saw another report in the media stating that APC leaders are mounting pressure on me to accept defeat. In all fairness to the National leadership of my party, they never mounted any pressure on me. So I wonder where their source got information from. The public reposes a lot of trust in the media for authentic information. What happens when this trust is betrayed?”
Meanwhile, Pastor Ize-Iyamu in the statement reiterated his earlier position that he had not yet made up his mind on the next step to take.
“I already tweeted that I am studying the result and consulting widely on my next line of action. Speculative reporting must be condemned. When I make up my mind, I will let my supporters know. For now, patience is what I implore. Not violence, not anger will help us now. Dignity will manifest in how we bounce back from this minor setback,” he said.
The APC candidate, Pastor Ize-Iyamu lost to incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded election.
Cable Reporters gathered that Governor Obaseki secured 307,955 votes to defeat Ize-Iyamu, his closest rival, who got 223,619 votes in the Sept. 19 gubernatorial election.
Although President Muhammadu Buhari and the Mai Mala Buni-led APC national caretaker committee had since congratulated Obaseki on his re-election, Ize-Iyamu is yet to concede defeat.
Rumours are rife that the APC faction in Edo loyal to its former National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, would challenge the victory of Obaseki in court up to the Supreme Court.
Already, the Edo Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has been set up in Sapele Road, Benin, and a panel constituted by President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Menem.
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