“…….We need a senator who can pull Abuja to Benin” — Okoduwa
BENIN CITY — As Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, popularly known as POI, begins wide consultations for the Edo South Senatorial seat in 2027, a leading youth voice has thrown his weight behind the bid.
“Let me make this clear to avoid speculation,” Solomon Okoduwa, Executive Director of the Initiative for Youth Awareness on Migration, Immigration, Development and Reintegration (IYAMIDR) Nigeria and former Senior Special Assistant to Edo State on Anti-Human Trafficking, told reporters in Benin City. “Pastor Ize-Iyamu is not seeking to challenge Governor Monday Okpebholo. His focus is the Red Chamber, where he intends to create federal synergy for Edo’s development agenda.”
*“I Follow Edo Politics. I Know What Youths Need”*
Okoduwa, who has tracked Edo’s political terrain for years, said field reports confirm POI has met traditional rulers, youth groups, women leaders, market associations, and APC executives across Edo South’s seven LGAs.
“From what stakeholders are saying, the sessions have been frank and strategic,” Okoduwa said. “The conversation is about using the Senate to unlock federal projects that complement the Governor’s work. The Governor is rebuilding Edo from Benin. Edo South needs a senator who can pull Abuja to Benin.”
*Why POI? Four Reasons, According to Okoduwa*
*1. He Proved Party Discipline Matters*
“In February 2024, he withdrew from the APC governorship primary hours to the poll for the peace and unity the party desperately required,” Okoduwa recalled. “Young people are tired of politicians who burn the house because they lost a room. That act showed control. He understands timing.”
2. He Has a Blueprint, Not a Slogan
“Unlike others, POI has run on one document for nearly a decade,” Okoduwa said. “The SIMPLE agenda — Security, Infrastructure, Manpower, PPP, Leadership by Example, Employment. For youths, that means jobs and skills, not just posters. You don’t sell SIMPLE. You switch it on in the Senate through bills and federal lobbying.”
3. He Owns Two Addresses: Abuja and Benin
“My concern is who can actually deliver federal presence,” Okoduwa stated. “In Abuja, he has direct lines to ministers and federal agencies. In Benin, his network cuts across markets and town halls. This is how Gelegele Port moves from paper to dredgers. This is how federal roads stop killing our young people.”
4. His Record Is Clean Enough for Parents to Point To
“After three governorship runs, he holds no anti-party record,” Okoduwa noted. “Pastor, lawyer, former SSG. He debates policy on national TV and explains it in Pidgin at Uselu Market with equal ease. Thirty years in public life, no convictions despite EFCC invitations. He was built before politics. Young people want role models.”
What the Senate Bid Means for Youths
Citing the Ize-Iyamu camp’s outline, Okoduwa listed four priorities that align with youth interest: a federal infrastructure push for Abudu–Abraka Road and Gelegele Port access; a Youth & Jobs Compact tied to federal agencies; education and health upgrades via TETFund and UBEC; and stronger security advocacy for local intelligence.
“Edo South does not need a learner,” Okoduwa told the press. “It needs a lawmaker who arrives day one with the Governor’s number, the party’s trust, Abuja’s access, and the people’s mandate. From where I stand representing youth, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu meets that standard: Presence. Principle. Preparedness.”
POI: The Standard. Not the Noise.
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