Edo State’s All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election continues to face turmoil as Dennis Idahosa, one of the aspirants, has taken legal action against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a letter addressed to the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, Idahosa insists that only he should be recognized as the party’s candidate, claiming victory in the primary election.
The controversy began when the initial primary, held on February 17, resulted in three winners, including Idahosa. A subsequent rerun primary on February 22 declared Monday Okpebholo as the winner with 12,433 votes, surpassing Idahosa’s 6,541 votes. However, Idahosa, dissatisfied with the outcome, sent a letter through his lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), demanding his recognition as the Edo APC governorship candidate.
Dated March 4, 2024, and referenced as WOC/ABJ/VOL.01/074/2024, the letter alludes to a lawsuit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/274/2024 between Idahosa and Okpebholo, with the APC and INEC also named as defendants. In the lawsuit, Idahosa argues that he emerged as the victor in the February 17, 2024 exercise, which was monitored by INEC, and questions the necessity of the supplementary or rerun election won by Okpebholo.
Olanipekun states, “Our client disputes the inconclusiveness of the primary election held on February 17, 2024 or any basis for scheduling what was referred to as a completion of the process. Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/ 274/2024 has been filed to address this issue. As it stands, INEC possesses two sets of results for the APC primary election for the 2024 governorship election in Edo State (one dated February 17, 2024, and the other dated February 23, 2024). When both results are combined, it becomes evident that our client emerged as the winner, even if only the votes from the February 17, 2024 results are considered.”
He further adds, “In other words, the sum of votes from all other aspirants across both sets of results will not match or exceed our client’s votes from February 17, 2024. At best, assuming it is valid, the completion primary election held on February 22, 2024, can be considered a supplementary election. Fortunately, under your leadership, the commission has previously conducted supplementary elections, such as the 2018 governorship election in Osun State, where a winner was declared by INEC after combining the votes from the main and supplementary election.”