On a sunny afternoon in Benin City, the State capital of Edo State, friends, family members, and political associates gathered at a meeting with Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. The much-anticipated gathering was organized to elicit his acceptance to run for the Edo 2024 governorship election under the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

The call for Ize-Iyamu to contest for the governorship position in Edo State has been growing louder and clearer, with increasing numbers of groups and individuals asking him to throw his political hat into the ring. Most people within his party and across political divides are asking POI to run for the party’s ticket.

Prominent party members across the 192 wards and 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Edo State attended the meeting. Representatives from different ethnic groups, including the Edo State Arewa/Muslim group, Christianity Groups in Edo State, Yoruba community, Ibo community, Ijaw, and others, were also present.

Notable leaders from the three senatorial districts spoke at the meeting, expressing their unalloyed loyalty and support for the candidacy of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, whom they referred to as their “HOME BOY” owing to his political tenacity over the years.

In his speech, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu expressed his appreciation for his friends and associates for having trust in him. He stated that the reason he accepted to run is due to his innate passion for the service of Edo people, assuring them that he will not let them down. He also appreciated the two-time governor of Edo State, former national chairman of the APC, and the number one leader of the party in Edo State, Senator Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, for providing leadership for the APC in Edo State.

He called on all party faithfuls and his supporters to always respect him and refrain from using derogatory comments and innuendos against any of the aspirants. He added that they need each other for the party’s overall victory after the primary election.

The highlights of the meeting included the assurance from all the leaders who attended the meeting to work for the emergence of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the Edo 2024 APC governorship candidate come February 2024. With this acceptance, there is no doubt that the political atmosphere in Edo State will be charged in the coming months as the APC party primaries draw near.