Some youths and women of the All Progressives Congress (APC) today thronged the party’s secretariat in Benin City, the Edo State capital in protest against the outcome of Saturday’s governorship primary election which produced three winners.
The group who removed furniture and other items from the secretariat and promised to camp outside the facility for the next seven days also alleged sabotage on the part of the state executive which they claim had received financial inducement to counter the election committee’s declaration.
Dressed in the party’s paraphernalia, the protesters argued that Dennis Idahosa is the rightful candidate for the APC in the September 2024 election, reports Channels TV.
“We cast our vote for Dennis Idahosa. Since they are trying to sabotage the youths, we will not allow it. I’m a youth leader for God’s sake. The person who just won the primary is just 43 years old. This is what we have been crying for and God Almighty has done it,” the party’s youth leader Tony Adun better known as Kabaka said.
“Any human being that wants to change it, we will tell him the youth has 75% when it comes to election. I want to send a message to the National Working Committee. If you people in the state working committee can disobey the National Working Committee, they need to be suspended from the party. If that is not done, nobody will come to this office because the party is supreme.”
Their protest comes days after the party held its primary election. Before the results were announced, there was drama as suspected thugs stormed the collation venue, chasing election officials and journalists away. This prompted a change of venue.
Hours later, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State who heads the election committee said there was a mix-up in the venue and thereafter declared Idahosa as the winner of the exercise.
But there were more twists to come. This time, the APC State Returning Officer Ogbuaja Stanley Uzoamaka declared Senator Monday Okpebholo as the APC flagbearer. More drama also ensued as the local government returning officers early Sunday declared Anamero Dakeri as the winner of the contest.
Despite these, the APC national leadership insists it only recognises the results declared by the Uzodimma-led group.
“We wish to state categorically that only the Governor Hope Uzodinma-Led Edo State APC Governorship Primary Election Committee is duly authorised to undertake the final collation and announcement of results of the Primary Election in the State,” the APC national spokesman Felix Morka maintained.
“We urge all party members, officials in the State, and the general public to disregard the said announcement of results by these unauthorised persons.”
