Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, has challenged Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.

He has asked him to reconcile the pious posture he bandied on national television on Saturday morning, with the directives he gave to known political thugs in a video that went viral recently.

The governor’s aide said:

“No real pastor will commission dangerous thugs, call them dangerous lions and tigers and order them to move from one political unit, ward and local government to another, to cause violence and subvert the will of the electorate in the September 19 election.”

He added that

“it was very convenient for the APC candidate to paint himself white on the Sam Omatseye-anchored programme on TVC.

“However, Edo people who still have the video of Ize-Iyamu, giving orders to Tony Adun, popularly called Kabaka, and his co-thugs to cause violence in the forthcoming election, know the inherent tendencies of the APC candidate.

“We also know that the illegal activities of some house of assembly members are being carried out in the APC candidate’s house. Words are cheap; but trust is earned, based on someone’s character, demonstrated consistently, overtime.

“People can claim anything on television to deceive their audience. Edo people will not fall for such publicity stunt or gimmick of the APC candidate because they know his penchant for violence.”

He further said that “the APC gubernatorial candidate reinforced his penchant for violence when he converted his house to an illegal meeting point for his party members who are parading themselves as members of a parallel House of Assembly in the state.

“What is more, Ize-Iyamu also claimed on the television programme that Edo people trust him. But the truth is that even his close associates do not trust him. Most of his former aides are now supporting Governor Obaseki because they see in Obaseki, a man that is true to his words.

“The APC candidate actually thinks that Edo people are fools. How can he talk about trust when Edo people know that he was suspended from the PDP for misapplying campaign funds of the party before he defected to the APC. He thinks Edo people are not following his N700 million fraud case in court?

Osagie maintained that “real men of God seek peace with all men and women and do not commission killers and evil men to do dirty jobs in the name of election.”