The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared last Saturday’s Edo State governorship primary election inconclusive.
A decision to this effect was reached on Tuesday night at an emergency meeting of the NWC to consider the report of the election submitted by Gov. Hope Uzodinma’s primary election committee at the party’s headquarters in Abuja.
The exercise produced three factional governorship ‘candidates’ following violence and controversy that trailed the conduct of the exercise in Benin City last Saturday with Hon. Dennis Idahosa, Senator Monday Okpebolo and Anamero Dekeri’s camps laying claims to victory at the primary election.
However, the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Felix Morka, disclosed in a terse statement after an emergency meeting of the NWC late Tuesday night that the party’s national leadership has now fixed Thursday, February 22, 2024, for the completion of the exercise.
“At its emergency meeting held today, 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, and has now fixed Thursday February 22, 2024 for the completion of the Primary Election Process,” he stated.
Recall that Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and chairman of the APC Gubernatorial Primary Election had declared Hon. Idahosa as the winner of the exercise, hence the party’s governorship candidate in the forthcoming September 21 Edo State governorship election
Also, the State’s returning officer for the exercise, Stanley Ugboajah, declared Okpebholo as the APC flagbearer while local government returning officers led by Ojo Babatunde announced Dekeri as winner of the primary election.
As of the close of work on Tuesday, three of the aspirants have filed their petition to the Appeal Committee and the office of the national chairman of the party.
Two of the aspirants, Dekeri and Okpebholo asked the NWC to issue them certificates of return while Osunbor called for outright cancellation of the exercise, claiming there was no election in the 192 wards of the State last Saturday.
The three petitioners were billed to appear before the election appeal committee on Wednesday before the new development.
Efforts to get details of the arrangement for the Thursday exercise failed as Morka declined further comments.
