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Some members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State have described the declaration of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the winner of the rescheduled Edo governorship primary election as not only unlawful but a gross violation of the party’s. constitution.
The party members who stormed the APC national secretariat on Monday in Abuja described last Thursday’s governorship primary as a daylight robbery.
It would be recalled that the governorship primary election held on February 17 under the supervision of the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma saw the emergence of three candidates — Dennis Idahosa, Senator Monday Okpebholo and Anamero Dekeri.
Against this background, the leadership of the party sacked Uzodinma as the chairman of the primary election and replaced him with the Governor of Cross River State, Bassey Otu.
The rescheduled election produced Monday Okpebholo as the APC gubernatorial candidate for the September 2024 election.
But addressing journalists during the protest on Monday in Abuja, the leader of the group, Innocent Ogedengbe demanded the restoration of Idahosa’s mandate by the party.
Ogendengbe emphasised that the primary of 22nd February 2024 did not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 as aspirants were not given equal opportunities of being voted for by party members at the designated centres at the wards that make up Edo State.
He alleged that party members present to vote did not have their votes cast recorded by any known office of the party’s National Secretariat.
Ogendengbe further alleged that the result sheets used were completed in the National Secretariat of the party as they did not flow from the reality on the ground in Edo State.
His words: “The said primaries of 17th and 22nd February 2024 were not conducted by open secret ballot by APC as required by relevant provisions of APC constitution and the declaration of Senator Monday Okpebholo is not only unlawful but a gross violation of the APC constitution.
“Our strong prayer is that the injustice perpetrated by the Governor Bassey Otu committee be set aside by the party and Hon. Dennis Idahosa will be rightfully declared winner on the strength of available extant documentary evidence.”
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