By Mudiaga Affe
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the September 19, 2020 election in Edo State, Osagie Ize-Iyamu has disagreed with a chieftain of the party, Mr Adam Ehigiamusoe, over a N200m election funds promised the state chapter of the Professional Drivers on Wheels.

Ehigiamusoe, who is the state President of Professional Drivers on Wheels in a press briefing in Benin City on Thursday, accused Ize-Iyamu of embezzling the fund meant for the union during the election.

The President of the drivers union said Ize-Iyamu’s interest in the APC is self-serving and not for the growth of the party.

He said the money meant for his trade union to mobilise for the governorship election was never released and that Ize-Iyamu held on to the fund in spite of all entreaties to get him release it.

While calling on the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to call Ize-Iyamu to order, he warned that his actions and activities is about destroying the state chapter of the party.

Ehigiamusoe said that the APC governorship candidate in the last Edo election, has succeeded in hijacking the party’s structure to himself.

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He said, “Ize-Iyamu was never interested in the growth of the party but what he stands to benefit from the party, he is self-centred and arrogate everything that comes to himself and cronies.

“As we speak, he has already compromised the forthcoming congress; he has positioned his people to take over every possible position available and that i fear will led to parallel congress being conducted in the state.

“A man who failed to win his local government and even his ward in an election he stood as a candidate should not be allowed to take control of the party.

“Ize-Iyamu’s antecedent at destroying party is well known, just the same way he destroyed the PDP before jumping ship is about the same thing he is doing to APC now.

“That is why i am calling on the NWC of the party to hear to my call by calling Ize-Iyamu to order. He must not be allowed to kill the party that we have laboured to build before him (Ize-Iyamu re-joined).”

Meanwhile, Ize-Iyamu has denied the accusations by describing them “as manifestly false.”

The Edo APC governorship candidate in his reaction through a statement by Mr John Mayaki, said at no point before, during, or after the campaign did he meet with Ehigiamusoe, whether in person or proxy, to offer such “outlandish promise.”

“My engagements with the transport unions in Edo State during the 2020 election campaign were subjects of sufficient media coverage- similar to meetings held with other representative bodies of stakeholders in the state.

“If any promise was made, it would have been reported and long claimed, not a year after when some persons are understandably attempting to ingratiate themselves with the ruling party because the burden of opposition proves too great for them to bear,” he stated.