Crisis in Edo APC as Idahosa, Okpebholo emerge guber candidates

By Olusegun Olanrewaju

It’s a season of confusion in Edo State as three candidates are laying a claim to victory in the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial election primary held at the weekend in the state

First, a member of the House of Representatives, Dennis Idahosa, was said to have emerged the candidate of the APC for the September 21, 2024 Edo State governorship election.

Also yesterday, another factional candidate emerged from the Saturday’s APC governorship primary, a.k.a, Akpakomiza.

A third claimant to victory in the hotly-contested primary war later emerged in , Anamero Dekeri , who said he had accepted the nomination to be the party’s flag bearer at the September 21 election.

Broadening the scope of the war, in his ‘acceptance speech’ yesterday, Dekeri commended the stakeholders and urged other aspirants ‘to join hands with me’ to improve the fortunes of the party and win the governorship election.

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who is the chairman of the APC Edo Governorship Primary Election Committee,had set the ball rolling for conflict when announced Idahosa’s emergence at the end of the election at the weekend in Benin City.

Uzodimma declared that Idahosa scored 40,4483 votes to defeat eight other aspirants in the race.
The likes of Dr Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and Lucky Imasuen had withdrawn from the primary election.

Announcing his withdrawal, Umakhihe, who also was a leading aspirant, immediately declared support for the youthful Idahosa, who he described as ‘the choice of the party’.

Umakhihe, a retired federal permanent secretary, hails from Edo North Senatorial District, withdrew from the race on Saturday morning.
Ize-Iyamu and Imasuen’s withdrawal from the race, had left nine of the 12 cleared aspirants in the race.

Umakhihe said: “My dear friends, fans and supporters, I am deeply grateful to you for all the support, sacrifices, and commitment to our governorship project.

“It has been a worthwhile journey of our resolve to make a difference in the affairs of our dear Edo State. However, following my latest interaction with the party’s leadership, I will not be contesting the primaries.

“Let us give our support to Hon. Dennis Idahosa, who is the choice of the party. There are greater days ahead.”

In another development, ahead of the forthcoming September 21 Edo gubernatorial election, Kennedy Iyere, has emerged as the candidate of the Accord Party.

It was gathered that Iyere became the winner of the party’s ticket after five other contestants stepped down for him a day before the primary election.
Iyere was then invested as the man to lead the Accord party in the forthcoming governorship election.

After he picked the governorship ticket, Iyere immediately picked and confirmed Bright Enabulele as his running mate.

In his acceptance speech, Iyere said he believed his comrades stepped down for him purely on merit and promised to win the September governorship election.

He also stated that the party will be forming a coalition of not fewer than six political parties that will provide the formidable political platform needed to dislodge the APC and PDP in the state.

He said, “Thank God for the primary conducted today by Accord, which produced me as the first candidate for the 2024 Edo guber poll. My running mate is Bright Enabulele and together, we shall pull the sufficient votes required for our desired victory.

“We are forming a coalition of not fewer than six political parties that will provide the formidable political platform needed to dislodge the APC and PDP in Edo State and rescue the indigenes and other inhabitants of Edo State from the misery of hunger, deprivation, unemployment and extreme poverty.

“Edo State is politically and economically broken by its failed past and present political leaders. The time to fix Edo State is now or never, hence we have adopted FIX-EDO-2024 PROJECT as our campaign theme.

“APC and PDP have done enough damage to our economy, our people, our state and our nation, the time for our political liberation is now or never.”

Meanwhile, the collation of results during the primary election was abruptly disrupted by scores of suspected political thugs.

The  results from eight local government areas had already been announced.

However, the collation of results at Rushville Hotel and Suite in GRA, Benin City, was ongoing and beamed live on TV when thugs stormed the location and alerted journalists covering the event to vacate the centre of the event.

Before journalists could gather their equipment together, the thugs swooped on the venue after overpowering the police operatives at the gate.

Several journalists, including NTA cameraman and FRCN reporter, were manhandled, with their equipment scattered.

The presence of the State Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adeboye, alongside the party officials at the Centre, did not deter the hoodlums from carting away the election materials.

Also yesterday, one of the factional candidates that emerged from the Saturday’s governorship primary of the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Monday Okpebholo, aka, Akpakomiza, has faulted the congratulatory message from the National Chairman of APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, to Dennis Idahosa, another candidate who emerged after the primary, as misleading and an attempt give credence to Idahosa’s claim to victory.

Okpebholo, who spoke through the Director of Media and Publicity of the Senator Monday Okpebholo Governorship Campaign Organisation, Godswill Inegbe, said Ganduje as the father and respected leader of the party couldn’t have hurriedly issued a congratulatory message when controversies and other issues characterised the announcement of the results.

It would be recalled that controversy Saturday’s trailed APC governorship primaries as Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who doubled as the chairman of the APC primary in Edo State, declared Idahosa the winner of the primary with 40, 453 votes, while Dr Stanley Ugboaja, who was the  Edo State Governorship Primary Returning Officer, at a separate venue, announced Senator Okpebholo winner having scored 12,145 votes.

In a swift reaction to the news making the rounds that the national chairman of the party had congratulated Idahosa, the Okpebholo Campaign Organisation  said such couldn’t have come from the Ganduje in view of the issues surrounding the outcome of the primaries.

IInegbe noted that in his phone conversation with the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the National Chairman of APC yesterday morning, Edwin Olofo, neither confirmed nor acknowledged that the statement came from him.

Inegbe said, “My conversation with Edwin Olofo was shocking and revealing to say the least. I am the Press Secretary to Senator Okpebholo, and in any given circumstance, when I release a statement on behalf of my principal, if anyone across the world reaches out to me for confirmation, I do so with all pleasure and authority, because my statements are approved and authorised by my principal.

“However, in this case, when I called Mr Olofo for confirmation of the purported congratulatory message from the National Chairman of APC allegedly authored by him, he couldn’t confirm that the statement was released by him.”

The media aide to the federal lawmaker said his principal had implicit confidence in the national and state leadership of the great party to ensure that the victory of Senator Monday Okpebholo  in the February 17th APC primary election was upheld.

Still, One of the aspirants claiming victory in the primary election, Anamero Dekeri said he has accepted the nomination to be the party’s flag bearer at the September 21 election.

In his acceptance speech on Sunday, he commended the stakeholders and urged other aspirants to join hands with him to improve the fortunes of the party and win the governorship election.

He said, “On February 17th, 2024  members of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo state came out to vote for a candidate of their choice to fly the party’s flag in the forthcoming gubernatorial election for Edo State.

“In their wisdom they elected me, Anamero Dekeri, as their preferred candidate. In all humility and with a great sense of responsibility I accept this choice which I believe is a reflection of God’s choice. From the depth of my heart I say a big thank you to members of our great party in Edo state for reposing this huge confidence in me, which I must say I do not take for granted.

“I must also thank critical stakeholders, especially the state and national working committees for insisting on total adherence to electoral guidelines as stipulated in the timetable. Let me also appreciate the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for ensuring transparency in the conduct of the election.

“Here, I must acknowledge the efforts of my campaign team for their resilience and commitment to the noble course. I thank you so very much. However,  l urge you to rededicate yourselves to the next stage of the process. God’s willing, we shall triumph again.

“At this point, I must acknowledge my co-contestants and great party members who put up a commendable challenge during the contest. Your participation I must say helped deepen democracy in our party. You fought gallantly and with passion. We might have disagreed during the campaigns which is not unusual in any contest, however our members have made a choice.
“There is no victor and there is no vanquished. It is APC that has won. Democracy is the winner. Therefore, I invite you to join hands with me and let us match together, shoulder to shoulder, with great strength and commitment and remove the temporary occupant at Osadebe Avenue – the PDP come September, 2024.

“Although there was a delay in the arrival of election materials, especially in Edo North, I salute the party leadership in rising to the occasion and members who were resolute in their desire to exercise their franchise which they willingly gave to me.

“My dear party members, I congratulate you today on the mandate you have given me to fly our party flag.

While awaiting the affirmation of my victory by the ward delegates as stipulated in the guidelines and other relevant laws, I wish to assure you that in the next few days I shall be unveiling my election manifesto which is christened ‘Venture of Hope Agenda’.

I therefore call on our party members and Edo State to gird their loins and join our campaign efforts to form the next government in the state. Ours shall be a government that will care for you and your children and alleviate your sufferings.

“Also, I appreciate our father, a Democrat par excellence, President Bola  Tinubu for his support and his insistence on the best value of democracy which is  providing a level playing field for all the contestants.

“Let me send this message to the Peoples Democratic Party, the temporary occupant at Dennis Osadebey Avenue, to begin to pack their luggage. Your time is up,” he added.