Governorship Candidates of the two Major Parties in
Edo State were on Sunday at each other’s throats raising claims and
counter-claims in their bid to position themselves ahead of the
September 19 polls.
Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
and Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu threw some dirt on each other on Sunday
when they participated in the governorship debate put together by
Channels Television and its partners.
At the event, the candidates came at each other with several
allegations. The most heated attacks, however, bordered on their
educational qualifications, and alleged participation in
cultism.
Under Four Years We Created 157,000 Jobs – Gov Obaseki
Obaseki ‘Wasted Over 75bn’ On Projects That Were Not Well
Thought Out, Says Ize-Iyamu
When in June Obaseki dumped the APC after his disqualification
from participating in the primary that produced Ize-Iyamu as the
flag-bearer of the party, there were claims that the governor was
disqualified based on certain bordered on inconsistencies in his
certificate.
Reacting to these claims at the debate arena in Benin, the Edo
State capital, the governor said, “it is very ironic that
someone who has no certificate can stand up and comment on someone
whose certificate was issued by the premier university in Nigeria.
That is a very sad situation that we have found ourselves in as a
country.
“In 1976 when I gained admission into the University of
Ibadan, there was no JAMB; you could either go into the university
through prelim or through Direct Entry in your advanced level
examination. I finished my O Level and my Advanced Level and it was
As, so I gained admission into the University of Ibadan in
1976.
“I don’t know what has happened but for the University of
Ibadan, the standard is still very high and they have come out to
say that I graduated from that university. How else do you want to
make that clear?
“It is very sad that in a country like Nigeria, some people
who do not have the qualifications, have the effrontery to
challenge the qualifications of those who went to proper schools.
It is sad.”
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Claim
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Obaseki
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Obaseki
Similarly, Mr. Ize-Iyamu the APC candidate has been accused of
partaking in some occultic activity that led to his expulsion while
an undergraduate at the University of Benin, but the pastor
described the allegation as a ploy to dent his character ahead of
the polls.
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He said, “I graduated from the University of Benin. I was
very active in the students’ union and my records are
clear.
“People have alleged that when you were in school, you did
that but I think they should go to the university authorities and
find out exactly what was the offence. If you do something very
criminal, the university cannot even handle it. And I am proud that
throughout my stay, I was not engaged in any criminal
matter.”
Reacting to the Obaseki certificate issue, Ize-Iyamu said no one
doubts that Obaseki went to the university, adding that the issue
is that the governor failed by his own records.
“You failed school cert, you had three credits, no English,
no Maths, even to enter A’ Level would have been
difficult.
“And if you got A-Level, why is it that you’ve not been able
to present the A-Level, where is the result? That is a moral
question. A lot of people are looking up to you as a governor and
as a leader.
“The question is that you failed your A-Level and that is
why you were disqualified and your disqualification arose from
information from the PDP, your party now, provided. Because the
PDP, when I was contesting against you (in 2016) said you have no
results. Why have you not answered the question? Where are your
results?”
Viewers who tuned in for the two-hour debate between Osagie
Ize-Iyamu of the APC and Governor Godwin Obaseki of the PDP on
Sunday witnessed first hand the disagreements and issues that have
seen the state witnessed one of the most controversial campaigns in
recent years.
Both candidates, widely believed to be leading candidates for
the September 19 election, disagreed on virtually every issue – job
creation, debt profile, governance, qualification, and the facts
that they built their plans on.
Beyond a handshake at the start of the debate, they would only
agree on the need for community policing and the importance of a
refinery project, the latter still sparked some disagreement.