Former National Vice Chairman, South South, of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and a number of political office holders in the government of Governor Adams Oshiomhole were among some chieftains of the All Progressives’ Congress who announced the withdrawal of their membership from the APC on Monday in Benin.
Others, who announced their withdrawal from the APC were the  pioneer chairman of ACN in Edo State, Prince Tony Omoaghe; Edo North Senatorial District leader of the party, Alhaji Usman Shagadi; Special Adviser to Governor Adams Oshiomhole on Project Monitoring, Mr Osaretin Edosomwan; the Director of the Poverty Alleviation Agency, Mrs Evelyn (Omokhodion) Igbafe; a former member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Etiosa Ogbeiwi and a host of others.
Spokesperson of the group, Prince Tony Omoaghe, who read  a  communiqué  issued at the end of a press briefing in Benin, hinged their withdrawal from the APC on the expiration of an ultimatum given Governor Adams Oshiomhole to cancel the APC membership registration exercise as well as the ward and local government congresses that were conducted in the state.
“The ultimatum has since expired. Governor Admas Oshiomhole has not complied with our requests. He did not show good faith. All that we witnessed were attempt to woo aggrieved members of the party individually by offering them Greek gifts.
“No efforts were made to redress the flawed membership registration exercise and the congresses. Nothing has been heard from the appeal panel set up to deal with complaints arising from the sham congresses.
“Instead of dealing with the issues, the Governor chose to tell the people on May 1st, 2014, during the celebration of Labour Day that the reason his party members were challenging him was because he promised to hand over to a fellow labour leader.
“We cannot continue like this. There must be an end to the Governor’s naked show of power, which we daily witness in the affairs of the party and indeed in the governance of Edo State,” Omoaghe said.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the party’s interim state publicity secretary, Comrade Godwin Erhahon, the party likened the withdrawal of the group to the removal of a cancerous tumor that had plagued the body.
He said, “It was Ize-Iyamu who tried to force the governor to manipulate the process to his favour. He has been too economical with the truth when he told the public that it was the governor who manipulated it.
“We would not have bothered to react, but because he bears the title of a pastor, it is interesting that his group which claims to be a progressive body has retrogressed in 2014 to swallow their vomit against PDP and Chief Anenih in 2005. We want to assure PDP that what they have inherited is an ailment and not a blessing.”
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