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Prof. Julius Omozuanvbo Ihonvbere, Leader of the House of Representatives and current member representing Owan East/Owan West Federal Constituency in Edo State, has raised alarm over alleged irregularities in the All Progressives Congress direct primaries conducted across various council wards in his constituency on Saturday, 16th May, casting a shadow over the exercise ahead of the 2027 National Assembly elections.
The allegation follows a turbulent night in which conflicting reports emerged from the primaries. Sections of the media on Saturday night claimed that the House Leader had lost his nomination bid, while his camp swiftly issued a counter-statement on Sunday evening through Chief Press Secretary Samson Akhanieme, dismissing those accounts as misleading and presenting what it described as the authentic results of the exercise.
According to Akhanieme, the figures from the primary showed Prof. Ihonvbere polling 4,729 votes against 2,912 for his closest rival, Hon. Andrew Ijegbai, with Hon. Abdul Oroh coming a distant third on just 29 votes. Two other aspirants, Hon. Foly Ogedengbe and Barr. Friday Ojealaro, had earlier stepped down in solidarity with the House Leader before the contest commenced.
To back his position, Akhanieme presented result sheets and video clips from wards across Owan East and Owan West local government areas. However, the emergence of disputed figures and competing narratives from the same exercise has drawn attention to what the House Leader’s camp has framed as a deliberate attempt to manipulate the outcome and misrepresent the will of the party faithful on the ground.
In a post-election interview, Prof. Ihonvbere called on all APC members to remain united, soliciting the continued support of the party faithful while pledging to work alongside the other former aspirants.
