The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, has congratulated the winner of the Edo State APC governorship primary election, Dennis Idahosa.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, Ganduje urged the party’s standard-bearer to carry other aspirants along to deliver the party in the September 21 governorship election.
He hailed the Governor Hope Uzodinma Election Committee, noting that its transparency in the conduct of the primaries was commendable.
The national chairman urged aspirants to “put aside their differences now that the primary election is over and support the winner to deliver the party at the election.
Ganduje said: “I congratulate the winner of the Edo State governorship election. I want to equally commend and appreciate Governor Uzodinma’s election committee for their hard work and the transparent manner in which the primary election was conducted.”
Former Chairman of APC in Edo State, Col. David Imuse (rtd.), who was among the 12 screened and cleared governorship aspirants that participated in Saturday’s direct primary election, Sunday insisted that Idahosa remained APC’s standard-bearer for the coming poll.
The youthful representative of Ovia constituency in the House of Representatives, who was commissioner for Investments and Public-Private Partnerships in the administration of former governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, said APC’s choice (Idahosa) had the capacity, experience and maturity to move Edo forward from November 12.
Imuse said: “I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to you, Dennis Idahosa, on securing the APC governorship candidacy in Edo State. “The triumph signifies a promising future, not only for our esteemed party, the APC, but also for the well-being of our beloved Edo State.”
The representative of Edo Central Senatorial District, Senator Monday Okpebholo, who was declared winner by Dr. Stanley Ughoaja at a parallel governorship primary election also in Benin, yesterday kicked against the congratulatory message by Ganduje, for Idahosa.
He described the message as misleading and an attempt to give credence to Idahosa’s victory.
Okpebholo, through the Director of Media and Publicity of his governorship campaign organisation, Godswill Inegbe, said APC’s national chairman, as the father and respected leader of the party, should not have hurriedly issued a congratulatory message, despite the controversies.
The senator said he had confidence in the state and national leaders of APC to ensure justice.
The crisis rocking the outcome of the Edo APC governorship primary election took a new turn Sunday, as a support group of the party, the APC Stakeholders Forum, asked the National Working Committee (NWC) to disregard the declaration of Idahosa as the winner of the party’s shadow election.
Rather, the group asked Dr. Ganduje to endorse Anamero Dekeri as the authentic candidate of the party.
The group said Idahosa’s declaration by Uzodimma should be declared null and void, noting that the committee lacked power to usurp the duties and responsibilities of local government returning officers in the primary election.
Invalidating Idahosa’s victory at a news conference in Abuja, the Chairman of the Forum, Emmanuel Godwin, said the purported announcement of Idahosa is null and void and should be disregarded in its entirety, adding that Governor Uzodimma lacked the power to usurp the duties and responsibilities of local government returning officers in the primaries.