APC declares Edo governorship primary inconclusive

Following the controversy surrounding last Saturday’s governorship primary election in Edo State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) has declared the poll inconclusive. This announcement came after an emergency meeting with the party’s leadership at the secretariat in Abuja.

The February 17th poll resulted in three declared winners. The Electoral Committee Chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma, announced Dennis Idahosa as the winner, while returning officer Stanley Ugboaja declared Monday Okpebholo as the winner. Additionally, Ojo Babatunde, claiming to represent the returning officers from all local governments, declared Anamero Dekeri as the winner.

In the midst of the confusion, both Dekeri and Okpebholo appealed to the party’s appeal committee to demand their certificates of return. However, another aspirant, Prof Oserheimen Osunbor, insisted on Tuesday that no valid election took place in the state, contradicting the announced results.

The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, revealed that the election process remains incomplete. He stated, “I am here to give you the outcome of the emergency meeting of the National Working Committee of our party held today regarding Edo State governorship primary election.”

“At its emergency meeting held today, Tuesday, February 20, 2024, to consider the report on the Edo governorship primary election, the National Working Committee of our party deliberated and resolved that the governorship primary election has not been completed and has now fixed Thursday, February 22 for the completion of the APC Edo State primary election process.”

In a related development, the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, had earlier congratulated Idahosa on his emergence as the party’s candidate. The reasons behind the decision of the NWC, led by Ganduje, were not immediately clear at the time of this report. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.