•Heads to Court!
By Ken Afor
Winner of the canceled February 17, 2024 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Edo State, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, has written to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for the commission to recognize him as the candidate of the party.
This is coming against the background of the APC’s February 22, 2024, rescheduled primary in which Senator Monday Okpebholo, emerged winner of the exercise and was consequently issued a certificate of return.
However, Hon. Idahosa, who is a federal lawmaker in the lower chamber from Ovia South/West-Ovia North/East Federal Constituency, insists that he is the rightful Candidate of the party. Speaking through his legal representative, Wole Olanipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), he asserted that the February 17 primary election, which he emerged winner and was monitored by the Commission, remains the legitimate primary.
While urging the electoral umpire to disregard the February 22, 2024 rescheduled primary election, which produced Senator Monday Okpebholo, he described the exercise as a sham.
His letter to INEC reads in part; “The record of INEC/the Commission will show that, under your leadership, the Commission monitored the Edo State APC primary election for the nomination of the Governorship candidate of the APC pursuant to the prior notification that the primary election will specifically hold on 17th of February, 2024.
“The primary election was indeed held, and I garnered 40,453 votes, a copy of the result certified by INEC is attached herein with this letter.
“INEC’s report of monitoring the election confirms that, at the end of the process, i was returned as the duly elected candidate of the APC, a copy of the INEC report as certified by the Commission is attached.
“The APC primary election committee that conducted the election also confirmed that i won the election as evidenced by a report signed by all members of the committee (without a single instance of dissent).
“The APC subsequently confirmed to INEC that the orimary election held as scheduled on 17th February, 2024; however, without giving any reason, indicated that the election was inconclusive and will be completed on 22nd February, 2024 and invited INEC to monitor the completion exercise.”
Idahosa requested that the Commission recognize the primary held on February 17 when accepting and announcing the party’s nominated candidate for the Edo state governorship election scheduled for September.
He added: “The Commission will also appreciate that there are pending reliefs for injunction and is urged not to take step that will either preempt the court of prejudice of ongoing judicial process.”
It would be recalled that Idahosa was initially announced the winner of the February 17 primary.
However, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC later deemed the exercise inconclusive, and consequently scheduled a rerun.
In the subsequent rerun, Senator Okpebholo, representing Edo Central emerged as the winner with 12,433 votes, while Idahosa polled 6,541 votes.
