Okpebholo, Idahosa
By Richard Otega Enyeh
Dennis Idahosa, a member of the House Representatives and Senator Monday Okpebholo have emerged winners in a parallel primary elections held in Benin City, Edo State.
While Okpebholo was declared winner of a parallel Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election whereby the APC State Returning Officer Ogbuaja Stanley Uzoamaka declared him as the winner, Idahosa was declared winner of the governorship candidate of the APC
He was declared the winner after
he polled a total vote of 40,483 to become the candidate of the APC in the September 21 governorship election in the state.
Announcing the results, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who is also the chairman of the APC primary election committee, said that having polled the highest number of votes among the nine aspirants, the Idahosa becomes the candidate for the party.
The Okpebholo camp dismissed Uzodimma’s declaration, maintaining that the Imo governor’s post is only ceremonial.
Ir would be recalled that the election conducted by the Uzodimma group was marred by disruption from suspected thugs who stormed the results collation venue in the GRA area of Edo State.
They threw away chairs and cameras mounted by journalists, a development that saw APC officials and pressmen scampering for safety.
The drama forced the election officials to change the venue of the collation exercise.
However, Governor Uzodimma explained that there was a mixup about the collation venue, maintaining that his declaration of Idahosa as the winner of the election was done in the right venue.
The APC however distanced itself from the parallel primary and endorsed the election conducted by the Uzodimma-led group.
“We wish to state categorically that only the Governor Hope Uzodinma-Led Edo State APC Governorship Primary Election Committee is duly authorised to undertake the final collation and announcement of results of the Primary Election in the State,” the party’s national spokesman Felix Morka said.
“We urge all party members, officials in the State, and the general public to disregard the said announcement of results by these unauthorized persons.”
