After Edo, APC vows to clinch Ondo, Anambra, Rivers

• Party in Rivers hails INEC over conduct of poll
• Former guber aspirant congratulates Okpebholo

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has vowed that the party would stop at nothing to retain the Ondo State governorship seat.

Ganduje also said that APC is also working to take over the governorship of Anambra State run by Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The APC National Chairman spoke yesterday while celebrating the victory of Monday Okpebholo in the just concluded Edo governorship election with members of the Edo State election situation room at the party’s national secretariat, Abuja.

The Kano-born politician explained that the winning strategy adopted in the Edo governorship poll would come in handy in sweeping both Ondo and Anambra governorship polls.

Ganduje argued that it would be in the best interest of the South-East geo-political zone crying of marginalisation if Anambra joined Imo and Ebonyi states as APC-controlled states.

He said: “We have started working to develop strategies to win these states. Next year, Anambra State will follow. Remember that we have a project named political de-marginalisation of the South-East geopolitical zone.

“That project is also a task that must be done. We will face the South-East zone with five states. We already have two, but two are too small for a big party like ours. We will face that state and see how to recover many states in our favour.”

Ganduje explained that APC was left with no choice but to deal the death kneel to Governor Godwin Obaseki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) due to his nature.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, led by Tony Okocha, has hailed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the conduct of the Edo State governorship election held on Saturday, although there were reports of the alleged high rate of vote buying observed in many polling stations.

There were also reports of inadequate Bimodal Verification Accreditation System (BVAS) machines being used for the polls, which slowed down the process.

However, Okocha, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of APC in Rivers, noted that the election was well conducted and credible.

Okocha, however, boasted that the party would repeat the same feat in Rivers State come 2027.

A FORMER APC governorship aspirant, Dr Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, expressed confidence in the emergence of Monday Okpebholo and Dennis Idahosa as Governor-elect and Deputy Governor-elect in Edo.

Umakhihe, a former Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, described Okpebholo’s election as a good omen to usher in a greater and better Edo State.

In a congratulatory message to the Governor-elect and his deputy, Umakhihe expressed joy that a new vista of renewed hope has arrived for Edo indigenes and all others that inhabit the state.