Debunking Orbih’s Many Lies Against Ize-Iyamu At Ehor Campaign Rally -By Isaac Asabor

There is no denying the fact that despite its pervasive presence in politics, particularly during electioneering campaign, that lying has not traditionally played a role in formal models of elections. Nick Cohen, in one of his scintillating and inspiring piece published in the UK Guardian newspaper, coined the headline thus: “Brace yourself, the flood of lies in this election is about to become a torrent”. Just like Nick Cohen has written in his piece, I am equally in this context expressing the fact that the flood of lies from Edo PDP campaign has been unbearably torrential to the detriment of the electorates as they have been befuddled on who to support and vote for among the 14 gubernatorial aspirants that were registered for the forthcoming election in Edo State, come September 19, 2020. To succinctly put it, the electorates do not know who is saying the truth, and who is not saying the truth, and they don’t know who to believe again, particularly during electioneering campaign, and have in that light being confused on who the real candidate is.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the ongoing electioneering campaign in Edo is gathering negative momentum as it is somewhat becoming the most dreaded period in the political history of the state, particularly as the election will be conducted in the next few weeks. The phobia for the electioneering is already propelling some fortune tellers in the garb of prophets of doom began to reel out findings from their respective crystal ball on how violent the election will be if caution is not taken by political players that are affiliated to the 14 political parties across the 18 local government areas in the state. Worse still, several self-acclaimed journalists whose Beats are only on Facebook have been tirelessly peddling such do-or-die visages or memes, thereby compounding the extant trepidations that the socio-political logjam indexical of the imminent calamities that the approaching election could trigger is not in any way a joke. As the election drew nearer, the volatile background expressed above was more often instigated by the use of the very loathsome language of expressions in campaigns and sloganeering outlets.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is not an exaggeration to say that since Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu was declared the winner of the governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo in June 2020 that politicians that are affiliated to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), particularly those that belonged to the campaign team of the incumbent governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, have literarily not been sleeping soundly as they are all nights spinning tissue of lies for the next electioneering day. Yes! This view may be pooh-poohed but evidence on the ground as expressed in the following paragraphs is eloquent enough to buttress this writer’s view.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to say that on Monday, August 31, 2020, that the Chairman of Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council, Chief Dan Orbih, called on Edo people to hold Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the candidate of the APC, responsible for the liquidation of Edo Line and Bendel Brewery.

Orbih who spoke to party supporters on Monday, during the reelection campaign rally of the PDP candidate and Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, in Ehor, Uhunmwode Local Government Area, urged the people to reject the opposition APC and its candidate in the forthcoming election.

According to Orbih, “Oshiomhole told us that Ize-Iyamu was responsible for the liquidation of Edo Line and Bendel Brewery.

“Remember that a fruit factory was established in this local government and yet that fruit factory never worked. The APC candidate, Ize-Iyamu, played a key role in the establishment of that fruit factory that never worked. He owes Edo people an explanation on why the fruit factory failed to work.

“We can’t go back to our past because Edo people must move forward and Obaseki is that man that will move the state forward. We will never allow them to come back as their role in the past doesn’t deserve any recognition.”

However, without bothering to read the story as a Journalist, I already saw the lies from the eyes of the headline. It is against the foregoing perspective that I subjected the story to a rigorous fact-check and discovered that the allegations made against Ize-Iyamu were lies which Orbih unarguably resorted to as it appeared he was devoid of developmental issues to campaign with when he was at the campaign ground at Ehor.

The fact revealed that the same Orbih as the Chairman of the PDP then in Edo State, had on April 17, 2018 on Tuesday, asked Governor Godwin Obaseki, who he is today campaigning for, to stop selling state assets, just as he warned the Governor of the danger that was inherent in nursing the idea of selling the assets belonging to Edo Line.

Chief Orbih made the call at a press conference in Benin where a nine-man committee for grassroots mobilization in readiness for the 2019 general elections. Prophet Ojo Agge was the Chairman during the inauguration of the committee.

Orbih at the time decried the alleged sales of state assets including the Ubiaja Rice Mill, a rubber processing plant in Benin and the Oil Palm Mill in Ekpoma at the Ekpoma Farm settlement, which he said were done in secrecy and without following due process.

He also alleged that the proposed sales of Edo line had reached an advanced stage and assured that the sales of Edo line would be stopped in the same manner Edo people’s pressure stopped the illegal sale of Edo Broadcasting Service.

He lamented the growth and success story of Delta line that got its initial takeoff funds and assets from Bendel Line while Edo Line was systematically killed so that the APC-led government officials could lay their hands on the assets, just like they have surreptitiously done on Edo Line Property located on Commercial Avenue in GRA Benin City.

Chief Orbih also alleged that the government of Godwin Obaseki has used his celebrated farm programme to defraud the state of over N500million, disclosing that in Sobe, government cleared and prepared 1,200 hectares, 400 hectares at Usugbenu and 800 hectares at Ekpoma with hundreds of millions of naira and there is no evidence that a single grain was planted or at least harvested.

He said, “Even though the money for this exercise was not captured in the budget of the ministry of agriculture, the money was diverted from the Special Intervention Funds and paid out from the ministry to Saro Agro Sciences, the purported technical partners for the project,” he further alleged.

Orbih, at the time challenged the state government to account for the hundreds of millions spent on land preparation, just as he asked the government to disclose how many tons of grains if any were sold from these agric projects and how much was realized from the sale.

He also challenged the government to disclose and make to be published in the national dailies, the number of graduates that were employed in the agric empowerment programme and their names, revealing that from investigation carried out, Saro Agro Sciences was a conduit pipe to siphon state resources and it is looking like the many foreign trips, and in the same vein said all the foreign trips including that of Malaysia embarked upon by the Governor were to learn how to waste government money in unproductive agric ventures, adding that Edo PDP would continue to listen to the cries of Edo people and take on the government appropriately.