After much controversy, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared the governorship primary election in Edo State as inconclusive. The party’s National Working Committee made this announcement following an emergency meeting held at the party secretariat in Abuja and was disclosed by the National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka.
The primary election, which took place on February 17, had initially produced three different winners. The Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Governor Hope Uzodimma, announced Dennis Idahosa as the winner, while the returning officer, Stanley Ugboaja, declared Monday Okpebholo as the winner. Additionally, Ojo Babatunde, claiming to represent the returning officers in all the local governments, declared Anamero Dekeri as the winner of the election, causing significant confusion.
Both Dekeri and Okpebholo have written to the party’s appeal committee to demand their certificates of return. Furthermore, another aspirant, Prof Oserheimen Osunbor, emphasized that no election had taken place in the state, contradicting the announced results.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Morka stated that the election has not been completed and announced that the process would continue on Thursday, February 22. Meanwhile, the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, had earlier congratulated Idahosa on his emergence as the party’s candidate.
As of press time, the reasons behind the decision of the party’s National Working Committee, led by Ganduje, remain unclear.
