APC stakeholders reject Edo gov primary result

Party chieftains and stakeholders of the Edo chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Sunday called for the cancellation of Saturday’s governorship primary, which produced three winners.

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who is also Chairman of the Primary Election Committee, announced Dennis Idahosa as the winner of the poll held at Protea Hotel in the state with 40,453 votes.

Elsewhere, the returning officer, Stanley Ugboaja, also declared Monday Okpebholo winner with 12,145 at Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s residence.

On Sunday, the local government returning officers led by Ojo Babatunde announced Anamero Dekeri as the winner of the contest, having polled 25,384 votes.

While the drama continues, the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, congratulated Idahosa for emerging as the party’s candidate.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, aggrieved APC stakeholders led by Emmanuel Godwin slammed Uzodimma for allegedly declaring a winner when collation was still ongoing.

The stakeholders rejected the result and called on President Bola Tinubu and Ganduje not to give recognition to Uzodimma’s declared candidate.

Godwin said, “We have been inundated with news that a particular candidate was announced yesterday by His Excellency, Hope Uzodimma. It is unfortunate that Uzodimma, who is not the returning officer in whatever capacity, assumed the position and went ahead to announce Dennis Idahosa when the returning officers were still collating the results.

“We wish to therefore state categorically that the purported announcement is null and void and it should be disregarded in its entirety. Governor Uzodimma lacks the power to usurp duties and responsibilities of local government returning officers in the Edo State primaries.

“We call on the National Chairman of our great party, the APC,  Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje and President Bola Tinubu to as a matter of honour discard Governor Uzodimma’s infamous declaration of one Mr Dennis Idahosa who didn’t win the primaries.

“It is also on record that in a viral video, the state chairman of the party, Jarret Tenebe, remarked that only Dekeri and Okpebholo are the two aspirants legally qualified to contest the primaries because only the duo complied with the APC guidelines of payment of membership validation exercise.”