Why Edo South Needs POI in the Senate: A Bridge to Federal Power and Grassroots Prosperity
By Solomon Okoduwa
Executive Director, Initiative for Youth Awareness on Migration, Immigration, Development and Reintegration (IYAMIDR)
Former Senior Special Assistant to Edo State Government on Anti-Human Trafficking and Irregular Migration
As someone who has worked extensively with Edo youths on issues of migration, development, and governance, I understand what effective representation looks like. It is not noise. It is access, capacity, and character.
That is why I am lending my full voice to the call for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, POI, to represent Edo South in the Senate in 2027.
1. He is the Bridge Edo South Has Been Waiting For
Development is fastest when state and federal governments work as one. Governor Monday Okpebholo is currently redefining governance in Edo State with bold road projects across Ute, Tenboga, and other critical corridors. What Edo South needs next is a senator who will not compete with the Governor but complement him.
POI has a proven, collaborative relationship with Governor Okpebholo. His Senate mission is clear: build a legislative bridge that brings federal presence, funding, and projects to scale the Governor’s work. The Abudu–Abraka road, Gelegele Port access, and erosion control in our communities cannot wait. They need a man in Abuja who knows both the Governor’s plan and the Federal Government’s door.
2. A Party Loyalist with National Access
In my years in government, I saw firsthand that access determines results. POI is a steadfast APC leader with robust relationships at the federal level. He does not need an introduction in Abuja. He has walked those corridors for years, building trust with power blocs, ministries, and agencies that decide where roads, schools, and jobs go.
Edo South cannot afford to send a learner to the Senate. We need someone who arrives on day one with the Governor’s trust, the party’s confidence, and Abuja’s phone lines open.
3. Grassroots Mobilizer, Modern Strategist
POI understands the dynamics of modern politics: data, coalition, and narrative. Yet he has never abandoned the grassroots. From my anti-trafficking work, I know that youth restiveness and irregular migration are symptoms of representation failure. POI builds people. He empowers youths, engages women, and respects elders. His network across Edo South is active, loyal, and ready.
He is politically sound, educationally grounded, materially stable, and morally consistent. He is not coming to experiment with our mandate. He is coming to deliver with it.
4. The Verdict is Clear
The recent Orhionmwon consultation showed it: when POI moves, the grassroots and party leaders move with him. The consensus is that he is the most prepared, most connected, and most electable for Edo South Senate in 2027.
As Executive Director of IYAMIDR, my charge to our youths is simple: let us choose federal synergy over empty slogans. Let us choose a senator who can bring federal jobs, skills hubs, and development home to stop the push factors of irregular migration.
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is that senator.
Edo South deserves capacity, not noise.
Signed,
Solomon Okoduwa
Executive Director, IYAMIDR
Former SSA to Edo State Government on Anti-Human Trafficking & Irregular Migration
