19th October, 2014
The claim of a bomb attack and subsequent reckless press statement by a self-styled “Pastor”, Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu, is another phase in what clearly has become the desperation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to spread falsehood and sow fear in the minds of the people of Edo State with a view to simulating a crisis.
This was revealed in a statement by Louis Odion, Commissioner, Information and Orientation, Edo State.
The statement said no sooner had the purported “bomb attack” been reported by an online medium with further claim of bomb explosion within Government House, than Mr Ize-Iyamu quickly called a press conference to point fingers at the Governor, Comrade Adams Eric Oshiomhole, as the mastermind of the explosion at the clinic owned by his wife.
For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state that the report of bomb explosion at the Edo Government House is patently false.
“By Ize-Iyamu’s ludicrous account and his haste to accuse Comrade Oshiomhole of culpability for a supposed crime yet to be investigated, we are persuaded to believe he is merely acting out a script. It is laughable indeed that any sane man will be targeting an obscure clinic that is, at best, now moribund.
“Mr Ize-Iyamu’s wild allegation fits into PDP’s jaded style of stage-managing assaults on its agents to be used as pretext by its thugs to attack officials of Edo State Government and agents of the APC.
“Again, Mr Ize-Iyamu’s reference to cultists being engaged against PDP is ironic and laughable. Even as full-time president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Oshiomhole was known for his non-violence philosophy. On the contrary, Edo people know those with the history of cultism and violence dating back to their school days.
“Against the backdrop of this latest purported attack on his wife’s clinic, which we believe was stage-managed, we wish to alert the Police to put Pastor Ize-Iyamu and his close-travelers under close watch as allegations of this nature had always been the prelude to staging an attack on APC members in the state in the past.
“Again, we call on the PDP to look within its ranks to get to the root of the attack on a former member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mr Rasaq Momoh. We also call on the Police to thoroughly probe top leaders of the PDP for the attack on the Edo state Legislative Quarters penultimate Saturday,” the statement said.