The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has confirmed the cancellation of the just concluded Edo State Guber primaries.
Three distinct candidates have emerged from the controversial exercise.
EFCC grills former Kwara Governor
Senator Monday Okpebholo was declared the winner by the Returning Officer for the election that was held at Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s residence in Benin City, while House of Representatives member Dennis Idahosa was declared the winner by Governor Hope Uzodimma, the chairman of the APC Primary Election Committee, at the Protea Hotel in Benin.
The winner of the poll was later announced to be Anamero Sunday Dekeri, the member of the House of Representatives for the Etsako Federal Constituency, by Ojo Babatunde, the spokesman for the local government returning authorities.
A protest broke out in the state on Monday when a group of women and youths stormed the party secretariat and drove Jarret Tenabe’s State Working Committee members out.
But then things took a sharp turn when Dekeri stormed the national secretariat of the ruling party and sought a certificate of return from national chairman Abdullahi Ganduje.
In the exercise on Saturday, Dekeri had asserted that he received the most votes.
The National Working Committee (NWC) was called into an emergency meeting by Ganduje on Tuesday evening.
Following the almost three-hour meeting, APC national publicity secretary Barrister Felix Morka spoke to reporters and said,
““The NWC resolves that the Edo State governorship primary election has not been completed and has now fixed Thursday, February 22, 2024 for the completion of the APC primary election process.”
