Controversy trailing last Saturday’s governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State has taken a new twist as the local government returning officers for the primary election, had declared yet another candidate, Anamero Sunday Dekeri, winner.
Mr. Dekeri, a member of the House of Representatives, becomes the third candidate to be declared winner of the highly undemocratic contest, another blight on the party’s internal democracy.
It will be recalled that Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State who acted as the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, had declared another member of the House of Representatives, Hon Dennis Idahosa, winner of the election with a total 40,483 votes.
Announcing the result, Uzodimma said Idahosa polled the highest number of votes.
Hon. Idahosa is believed to belong to the Senator Adams Oshiomhole faction of the party in the State.
Oshiomhole, former governor of Edo was also National Chairman of the party.
But the exercise witnessed another twist shortly after when the returning officer for the primary election, Dr. Stanley Ugboajah, declared Senator Monday Okpebholo as the rightful APC candidate.
Okpebholo emerged from a parallel primary election in Benin.
Then, last night, spokesman of the local government returning officers, Mr Ojo Babatunde, who announced the third result said Dekeri polled a total of 25,384 votes to defeat his closest rival Dennis Idahosa who scored 14,127 votes.
He was flanked by some other returning officers while he made the announcement.
Babatunde said: “Hon. Dekeri having met the requirements of the law and scored the highest valid votes cast has been declared winner of the election and returned elected.”
Dekeri is the member representing Etsako Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives.
A total of 12 aspirants were screened and cleared for the direct primary by the national leadership of the party.
Meanwhile, the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, has hailed Idahosa for his “victory.”
The governorship election will hold on September 21, 2024.
Ganduje’s congratulatory message was contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, on Saturday.
While describing Idahosa as the choice of the people, the APC national chairman urged him to carry other aspirants along to have a united front ahead of the governorship election.
The former Kano governor also commended Uzodinma’s Primary Election Committee, saying its transparency in the conduct of the election was highly commendable.
He said, “I want to congratulate the winner of the Edo State governorship election, I want to equally commend and appreciate Governor Hope Uzodimma’s election committee for their hard work and the transparent manner in which the primary election was conducted.
“At this point, I want to call on all the aspirants to bury the hatchet and work for the interest of the party so that our party will emerge victorious.”
Ganduje also commended all the party stakeholders and assured them that the party will do everything possible to ensure that Edo state was delivered.
