- PDP NWC approves delegate list, okays February 22 for conduct of primary
More facts emerged on Monday how Dennis Idahosa, the anointed son of a former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, emerged as the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress from one of the parallel primaries conducted by the party on Saturday.
Idahosa, the member representing Ovia Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, emerged winner of the party’s governorship primary election in Edo State.
Imo State governor and chairman of APC electoral committee in Edo State, Hope Uzodimma, who announced the results, said Idahosa polled 40,453 out of 42,381 votes to defeat other aspirants who contested the primary election.
Though the APC threw the primaries open to 12 aspirants, The Point gathered that the pressure from Oshiomhole clearly manifested as he stormed the inauguration of the primaries electoral and appeals committees at the party’s Buhari House national secretariat in Abuja, two days to the primaries.
The former governor and Senator representing Edo North Senatorial district, was said to have stormed the venue of the inauguration uninvited.
The Point learnt that before the announcement of the members of the two committees, Oshiomhole became a regular visitor to Buhari House where he served as the party’s National Chairman to keep a tab on the process and ensure the APC did not discard his proposal to settle for a consensus candidate while still allowing others to contest in the primaries.
On realizing that the pressure by their leader to settle for the anointed son would succeed, two front runners of the 12 cleared aspirants – Pastor Osagie Ize -Iyamu and Dr. Ernest Afolabi amazingly withdrew at the last minute.
However, an APC chieftain who spoke with The Point in anonymity, said the party did not succumb to the pressure from Oshiomhole and that was the reason the party threw the primaries open by clearing all the 12 aspirants so that they slug it out at the polls.
“There was serious pressure on the National Working Committee to settle for a consensus candidate but the National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, and his members did not succumb to the pressure. Remember the party’s leader in the state and some stakeholders wanted the NWC to limit the number of aspirants but the party refused and called for the purchase of both the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms from interested aspirants which led to 12 aspirants that were screened and cleared without disqualification of any. But you know politics is a game of wits and interest. All that the party needed to do to ensure transparency in the exercise was done and that proved we were not toying with the chances of reclaiming the Dennis Osadebey Government House from the occupants.
“I was not at the primaries in Edo but I want to say it clearly that from reports I got the Governor Uzodimma-led electoral committee effectively represented the party’s stand on free, fair and transparent election to ensure we present a candidate who will be the choice of the voting population of Edo State.
The delegates made their choice on who should be APC standard bearer, it’s now the responsibility of the party leadership in the state, Oshiomhole and all the stakeholders, including the aspirants who contested and those who withdrew to come together and form a common front, go into the election as one big family. Those emerging as candidates from parallel primaries can still be appeased. We can’t afford to go into this election in a divided house and still hope to take over,” the APC stalwart added.
He, however, cautioned that the party would not succeed in its bid to reclaim its place in Edo State if those who lost in the primaries refuse to accept the outcome with the spirit of sportsmanship and join hands with the candidate to ward off challenges from the ruling PDP and the emerging force of the Labour Party.
“We must reclaim our seat at the Edo State government house. Edo State is APC which everyone knows but an avoidable mistake in 2020 cost us the seat. We had a sitting governor who was not given a ticket for a second term; he took our seat to another party and won. This was how APC became opposition from the ruling party. All our focus now, thank God the NWC is strict about it, is to go into the September 21 election united.
“Whatever transpired at the primaries should be treated as politics and we must begin the process of reconciliation without further delay. I’m saying this because there’s nowhere in the world where elections are conducted and there wouldn’t be skirmishes but how they are managed makes the difference. We have to hit the ground running by embarking on reconciliation and that should be without further delay. We need not wait for litigation because they will derail us. September 21 is here with us. In politics, one minute is too much a time and one hour can be no time at all,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Anugbum Onuoha, on Monday during a media briefing confirmed that officials of INEC in the state monitored the exercise at the Lushville Hotel and Suite.
When asked which of the two parallel primaries conducted by the two factions of the party was monitored by INEC, Onuoha said he monitored the one the Commission was invited to.
“The Supreme Court has taken decisions on the monitoring of party primaries, that party primaries are primary duties of the parties.
“Our own responsibility is to supervise and in doing such supervision, the party will tell us the venue. It is not the state chapter of the party that will tell us the venue.
“The national body will write to INEC national chairman of the venue, and the date and the time of the primary, and that we have followed strictly.
“Any political party primaries that were not communicated to us by our headquarters, we will not monitor.
“We were notified by APC and we monitored the one we were invited to the Lushville Hotel. I was there, that was where I went,” he said.
PDP NWC approves delegate list, okays February 22 for conduct of primary
Meanwhile, ahead of the Thursday, February 22 primary election, the National Working Committee of the People’s Democratic Party has approved the delegate list for the Edo State governorship election primary to nominate a candidate for the September 21, 2024 governorship election in the state.
In a statement, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said the NWC of the party also approved the conduct of the Edo State Governorship Election Primary at the Lawn Tennis Court of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, in Benin City.
He said, “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the People’s Democratic Party has approved the delegate list for the Edo State Governorship Election Primary to nominate a candidate for the September 21, 2024 governorship election in the state.
“The NWC has also approved the conduct of the Edo State Governorship Election Primary for Thursday, February 22, 2024, at the Lawn Tennis Court of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.”
Ologunagba noted, “The NWC charges all delegates, aspirants, leaders, critical stakeholders, members of our party and the public to note the official date and venue and be guided accordingly.”
