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From Tony Osauzo, Benin
A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dennis Idahosa, has approached an Abuja Federal High Court to challenge the outcome of the party’s governorship primary.
Besides, he has written to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to receive any other name as the candidate of the party apart from him, saying he won the primary.
In a letter, dated March 4, 2024 written by Wole Olanipekun, marked WOC/ABJ/VOL.01/074/2024 and addressed to INEC Chairman, Mahmud Yakubu, Idahosa said a legal action with Suit No.FHC/ABJ/CS/274/2024 between himself vs Sen. Monday Okpebholo, the APC and the INEC has already been instituted where he is claiming the candidacy of the party and urged INEC to take cognisance of the suit.
In the suit, Idahosa said he won the February 17, 2024 exercise monitored by the INEC where he was declared winner and that there was no basis for the supplementary election ordered by the leadership of the party as no reason was given for the decision.
He also argued that the February 20 was not a standalone election but a continuation of the February 17 exercise and so the results of the 17th exercise cannot be jettisoned.
“The record of INEC/the commission will show that, under your leadership, the commission monitored the Edo State APC primary for the nomination of the governorship candidate of the APC pursuant to the prior notification that the primary will specifically hold on February 17, 2024. The primary was, indeed, held, and our client garnered 40,453 votes (a copy of the result certified by INEC is attached herein as Annexure 1). INEC’s report of monitoring the election confirms that, at the end of the process, our client was returned as the duly elected candidate of the APC (a copy of the INEC report as certified by the commission is attached as Annexure 2). The APC primary election committee that conducted the election also confirmed that our client won the election as evidenced by a report signed by all members of the committee (without a single instance of dissent).
“Our client is aware that the APC subsequently confirmed to INEC that the primary held as scheduled on February 17, 2024; however, without giving any reason, indicated that the election was inconclusive and will be completed on February 22, 2024 and invited INEC to monitor the completion exercise. At the end and in respect of the completion exercise, Okpebholo was said to have scored 12,433 votes while our client was allocated 6,541 votes. Okpebholo scored 100 votes at the primary of February 17, 2024 (a copy of the result sheet from the completion primary on February 22, 2024 certified by INEC is attached as Annexure 3). Our client disagrees that the primary of February 17, 2024 was inconclusive or that there was any basis to schedule what was described as a completion of the process. Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/ 274/2024 has been instituted to ventilate that challenge.
“As things stand, INEC is in custody of two results for the APC primary for the 2024 governorship election in Edo State (one dated February 17, 2024, and the other dated February 23, 2024). The summation of the votes in both results demonstrates clearly that our client won the primary even if his votes from the February 17, 2024 results are the only ones reckoned with.
“Put differently, an addition of the votes of all the other aspirants from both results will neither match nor supersede our client’s votes from February 17, 2024. At best (assuming it is valid), the completion primary of February 22, 2024 was a supplementary election.
“Fortunately, the commission, under your leadership, has had cause to conduct supplementary elections, including the 2018 governorship election in Osun State where a winner was declared by INEC upon a summation of the votes from the main and supplementary election,” Olanipekun said in the letter.
