Published by Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
An old video has resurfaced of the Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Emperor Jarrett Tenebe, making a pointed call for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu to step aside from active politics ahead of the 2027 elections. Tenebe’s statement, widely interpreted as a direct dismissal of Ize-Iyamu’s senatorial ambition, was delivered during a live interview on TVC News in April 2026 and has since deepened the internal crisis within the Edo APC.
“We cannot field any serial losers in any of the elections within the state,” Tenebe declared, stressing that the party would not reward candidates with a history of repeated electoral defeats. “If you field someone who has been losing elections—maybe for senator or otherwise—the person will continue to lose.” Although Tenebe did not mention any name explicitly, political observers and party insiders took the remark as a clear reference to Ize-Iyamu, who has contested and lost the Edo State governorship twice—first in 2016 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and again in 2020 as the APC candidate.
Tenebe’s statement was part of a broader defence of the party’s strategy to secure 3.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election. “The only snag we can have is the kind of people we field in other elections,” he said. “That is why we are very careful.” The chairman noted that only two individuals had so far been endorsed by the party: President Tinubu himself and Senator Adams Oshiomhole, whom he described as a “brand” within Edo North capable of delivering votes.
The remarks have triggered a fierce backlash from Ize-Iyamu’s supporters and other party stakeholders. A group of over 1,800 APC members in the diaspora, operating under the aegis of the APC Diaspora Media Group, Edo State Chapter, described the statement as “reckless and highly disrespectful” and called for Tenebe’s suspension. In an open letter to President Tinubu, the group stated, “We state categorically that Pastor Ize-Iyamu has not engaged in any conduct warranting such public ridicule and humiliation.”
The crisis has deepened as the Edo South senatorial primary approaches. Ize-Iyamu, who is seeking the party’s ticket to represent the district, has publicly called for transparency and fairness. “If primaries are to be conducted, they must be transparent and fair. The imposition of candidates, whether direct or subtle, undermines party unity and erodes public trust,” he said in a statement. He has also dismissed speculation that he intends to defect from the APC, reaffirming his loyalty to the party.
Ize-Iyamu’s wife, Dr. Mrs. Ize-Iyamu, who was recently appointed Chief Medical Director of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, has also been drawn into the controversy. Critics of the governor’s camp have argued that giving the Ize-Iyamu family both a federal appointment and a senatorial ticket would constitute a dangerous concentration of political power, a position that Ize-Iyamu’s allies have dismissed as a convenient rationalisation for political manipulation.
Governor Monday Okpebholo has denied any involvement in candidate imposition, insisting that all aspirants are free to contest. However, sources within the party have alleged that the governor is working quietly for the emergence of former House of Representatives member Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, who eventually won the APC primary for Edo South on May 18, 2026. Ogbeide-Ihama was declared winner with 27,154 votes, defeating incumbent Senator Neda Imasuen (13,580 votes) and Ize-Iyamu (6,785 votes).
The APC’s internal crisis in Edo State has escalated to the point where the party’s national leadership has been urged to intervene. A diaspora group has called on President Tinubu to “act swiftly and decisively to restore sanity, unity, discipline, and strategic direction” in the state chapter. Ize-Iyamu has yet to respond publicly to his defeat in the primary, but his supporters have indicated that he may challenge the outcome of the process.
With the 2027 elections now firmly on the horizon, the war of words between Tenebe and Ize-Iyamu reflects deeper fault lines within the Edo APC—fault lines that could shape the party’s fortunes in the state for years to come.
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