The All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced that the governorship primary election in Edo State will be concluded on Thursday, February 22, 2024.
The party spokesman, Felix Morka, made this announcement in a press statement on Tuesday, saying that the APC governorship primary election in Edo remains ongoing.
“At its emergency meeting held on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, to consider the report on the Edo State Governorship Primary Election, the National Working Committee (NWC) deliberated on the report and resolved that the Edo State Governorship Primary Election has not been completed.
“The APC NWC has now fixed Thursday, February 22, 2024, for the completion of the Primary Election Process,” Morka said.
Meanwhile, there is a controversy over Saturday’s APC governorship primary election in Edo State after the exercise produced three candidates.
The crisis rocking the primary election took another turn on Sunday following the emergence of a third aspirant, Anamero Dekeri, who claimed to have won.
Ojo Babatunde, who claimed to be acting on behalf of all the local government returning officers, had declared Dekeri as the winner with 25,384 votes while declaring Dennis Idahosa, who had 14,127 as the second.
“Hon. Dekeri having met the requirements of the law and scored the highest valid votes cast have been declared winner of the election and returned elected,” Babatunde said in his declaration of the member representing Etsako Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives as the winner.
Meanwhile, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who chairs the Edo State Governorship Primary Election Committee, had earlier declared Idahosa as the winner of the APC primaries, which took place in Benin City.
“This is so therefore to satisfy that Honourable Dennis Idahosa, having scored the highest number of votes cast is hereby declared the winner of the primaries and is returned as the candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC) for the coming election,” Uzodimma said.
Controversy, however, trails the APC governorship primaries in Edo after the returning officer for the exercise, Stanley Ugboaja, declared Senator Monday Okpebholo as the party’s flagbearer.
This is especially after the APC on Saturday said only results announced by duly recognized officials will be recognised for the governorship primary in Edo State.
“We wish to state categorically that only the Governor Hope Uzodinma-led Edo State APC Governorship Primary Election Committee is duly authorized to undertake final collation and announcement of results of the Primary Election in the State,” the party spokesman Felix Morka said.
Morka also urged all APC members, officials in Edo State, and the general public to disregard the said announcement of results by these unauthorized persons.
Lucky Imasuen and Osagie Ize-Iyamu withdrew from the contest before voting started on Saturday, leaving at least 10 other aspirants to battle for the APC governorship ticket.
