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By Gabriel Dike
President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the APC have been commended for appointing Governor Bassey Edet Otu of Cross Rivers State as Chairman of the APC Primary Election for Edo state.
In a statement by Matthew Omoregie and Stephen Aigbe, chairman and secretary general, respectively, the Edo APC Elders Stakeholders Forum decried last weekend’s flawed primaries supervised by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo Governor.
While commending the swift intervention of the leadership of the APC and the rescheduling of the primaries, the elders advised the new chairman of the primary election, Governor Otu, to remain steadfast to the tenets of true democracy so that his name will remain on the fair side of history.
The group also called on Tinubu to recall in 2016, during a similar primary when the people were denied the opportunity to choose their candidate.
“The process was hijacked and a candidate was imposed on the party by the erstwhile Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
“After winning the election, the imposed candidate (now Governor Godwin Obaseki) took party members through hell from 2016 and decamped to PDP in 2020.”
While pledging their support for President Tinubu and his administration, the elders urged the party leadership and the NWC “to ensure that democracy wins in Edo state as the party picks its governorship candidate for the September 2024 governorship election.”
The group assured the party of victory in the September governorship election only if a candidate was not imposed on the party, saying that “party members across the state have developed strong feelings against anti-democratic practices” because of their bitter experience of the past.
Consequent upon the violence that followed the primary election in Benin city last weekend, the APC leadership rescheduled the date for tomorrow Thursday to complete the process.
Last weekend, Governor Uzodimma had declared Dennis Idahosa as winner of the primary election while the APC Returning Officer, Stanley Ugboaja announced that Senator Monday Okpebholo won the race.
The wave of criticisms generated by the announcement of Idahosa as winner by Governor Uzodimma have pitched many party followers against former Governor Oshiomhole, who they accused of imposing a candidate on the party.
