‘I value my Christianity more than my ambition’

From afar, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the presumed favoured aspirant by the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Edo State governorship election, cuts a picture of a stubborn, impenitent rabble-rouser than the cleric he is.

At a closer look however, the pastor of the revered Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) who is also a lawyer, is more or less simplistic and a down-to-earth person.

Yet, he has become controversial sort of, in the Edo State politics occasioned by his movement first from the PDP to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which later transformed to the present All Progressives Congress (APC) and now back to the PDP that he once allegedly
vilified.

But the principled and disciplined person he is, accounted for this so-called ‘jumping around’ as he was not prepared to compromise his Christian faith for anything.

Ize-Iyamu who was in Lagos at the weekend as part of efforts to mobilise support for his ambition to become the next governor of the state, explained that he has been mostly misunderstood hence the erroneous impression some people have of him and his involvement in politics.

“To a large extent I see myself as largely misunderstood and stigmatised,” he stated noting that people were quick to recall that he has moved from one party to another and one government to the other without being prepared to find out what were responsible for these movements.

He has also been criticised for being a member of the Lucky Igbinedion’s administration in the state.

“I have never been indicted for any wrong-doing and sometimes when people complain about my movement from one party to the other I wonder because apart from the constitutional backing for freedom of association, are we to remain fixed in a place that has become oppressive, a place whose ideas and objectives have become totally hijacked, must we remain there simply because we are afraid of being stigmatized?” the former Secretary to the State Government queried.

He lamented that no one had endeavoured to know why he left parties that were in government.

His words: “Nobody has taken the pains to look at the character of the man himself not the labels that political adversaries who have nothing to say will want to put on me and find out why the movement, why I left the parties even when they were the ruling parties. The moment I realized that the party or those in charge has drifted, I don’t spend too much time lamenting … I take a walk because I have never been desperate about my political participation.”

He stressed that he was not desperate about being governor and that he does not want to be governor at all cost.

Besides, he said he would not give up his faith for any political office adding that fears were expressed in 1999 when he became Chief of Staff with some pastors objecting.

Ize-Iyamu argued that currently and based on his experiences and impact in politics, more persons were now supporting him with more pastors willing to join politics, adding: “One of them told me that if I had not held this position he would not have understood pastors being in political office.”

“My conversion, my experience with God is very real. I value my Christianity even more than my ambition and political activity … I am not just a pastor, I preach regularly in Church, so on Sundays even the governor knows that you cannot invite me to somewhere on that day.

If you cannot accept these conditions of mine then I will drop the position … I will still be preaching on Sundays even as a Governor,” he asserted.

The pastor however admitted that politics in Nigeria was a ‘mission field’, a ‘dirty and dark’ place that required Christians and good people to get involve to help enthrone good governance cautioning that if the good hands keep off, Nigeria would be doomed.

He explained that he was in politics because he was passionately concerned about Edo state stressing that Edo was still far from where it should be, claiming that the state was lacking in infrastructure, housing, agriculture, sports and socio-economic welfare of the people.

“I believe I have the education, knowledge and experience to be able to make a difference. What our people want today is somebody that is sincere, somebody they can trust, somebody who is assessable,
somebody who understands the problem of the state, and I fit those requirements.”

Asked why he has been so critical of Adams Oshiomhole’s administration especially as he was one of those who brought the government to power, he said, “Because I am one of those who brought the government to power, I also have a moral right to be very concerned about their performance.”

He encapsulated his programme and policies for the state under the acronym – SIMPLE which stands for Security and social welfare; Infrastructural development; Manpower development; Public Private Initiative; Leadership by example; and Employment and empowerment.

He was optimistic that PDP will win the election because “PDP Today is different from the PDP of old and PDP today is humbled. Sometimes defeat is good, it humbles you. So PDP is going through an experience that is going to make them a better party. It is going through an experience that would make the party better.”