As the 2027 general elections gradually approach, the contest for the APC ticket in Edo South Senatorial District is rapidly evolving beyond an ordinary political battle. What should have been an internal party process has now grown into a broader conversation about loyalty, gratitude, political consistency, and respect for the leadership structure that brought the present administration to power in Edo State.

Across political circles, concerns continue to mount over reports that Governor Monday Okpebholo has chosen to oppose the alleged preference of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, who, according to party insiders and close political sources, is said to favour Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a former Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Edo State Government and a member of the APC Merger Committee as well as the Vice Chairman of its Constitution Drafting Committee for the Edo South Senatorial ticket.

What has shocked many party faithful is not merely the disagreement itself, but the manner in which the Governor is alleged to have openly aligned with the preferred candidate of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Engr. Ogbeide Ihama, in what many insiders now describe as a direct affront to the authority and political leadership of the President.

Fresh findings from within political circles suggest that, in a desperate bid to force acceptance for Engr. Ogbeide Ihama, enormous state resources and the full machinery of government have allegedly been deployed to intimidate political office holders and compel endorsements through pressure, threats, and coercion.

Yet, despite these efforts, the resistance from ordinary party members has reportedly remained overwhelming.

One incident that has continued to generate widespread discussion involved an endorsement gathering reportedly facilitated by former Deputy Governor, Chief Lucky Imasuen. During the event, when attendees were asked whether they supported the endorsement of Ogbeide Ihama, voices from the crowd openly responded with a resounding “No”- a moment many political observers believe exposed the widening gap between orchestrated endorsements and actual grassroots sentiment.

To many Edo people, the entire campaign now appears less like a genuine popular movement and more like a carefully orchestrated attempt to create the false impression that Ogbeide Ihama enjoys widespread acceptance when the reality on the ground suggests otherwise.

In contrast, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu continues to command visible goodwill among party elders, grassroots mobilizers, community leaders, and ordinary citizens across Edo State. To many loyal APC members, his years of political investment, party loyalty, and sacrifices for the growth and stability of the party remain too significant to be casually dismissed.

Indeed, there is now a painful but unavoidable question being asked:

Would Governor Okpebholo rather please Wike than stand with the President who played a monumental role in his emergence as Governor?

Political history is difficult to rewrite. Nigerians remember the difficult circumstances surrounding the Edo State 2024 APC gubernatorial primaries and the crucial role Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu reportedly played in stabilizing the situation and providing the political lifeline that eventually paved the way for Governor Okpebholo’s candidacy to survive. Within the party, there is a growing belief that without those interventions, the political story in Edo State may have unfolded very differently, with the present Deputy Governor of Edo State, H.E. Dennis Idahosa, likely emerging as Governor.

This is why loyal party faithful now find it deeply troubling that, notwithstanding the President’s reported preference and the sacrifices made by Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the Governor appears determined to align with an entirely different political bloc- one that is widely perceived as being loyal not to the Presidency, but to the expanding political influence of Nyesom Wike.

More troubling for many observers are reports suggesting that Governor Okpebholo has repeatedly credited Wike, rather than the President and the broader APC leadership, for his political rise. Whether accurate or exaggerated, such claims have only deepened the growing perception that the Governor now places greater political value on the approval of Wike than on the authority, goodwill, and leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu himself.

That perception is dangerous.

For a Governor whose emergence was made possible through the structure, platform, and national backing of the APC, many believe this moment demands caution, humility, and political wisdom rather than confrontation with the very leadership that helped shape his rise.

This is why the unfolding Edo South battle is no longer viewed merely as a senatorial contest. It has become, in the eyes of party faithfuls, a defining test of political loyalty and personal gratitude.

Edo people and the APC family are watching.

And history, ultimately, will not only remember those who chose to stand with the President but also those who chose to stand against him