23rd February, 2024
By Jethro Ibileke
Senator Monday Okpebholo has been elected candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 21 September gubernatorial election in Edo State.
Okpebholo won the party’s primary election with 12,433 votes which was held across the 18 local government areas.
He defeated his closest rival, Dennis Idahosa, who scored 6,541.
Okpebholo had earlier emerged as the winner of the parallel primary of APC conducted last Saturday.
The Returning Officer, Stanley Ugboaja, declared Okpebholo the winner with 12,145 votes.
“Having scored the highest number of votes, I hereby declare Senator Okpebholo the winner of the election,” Ugboaja said.
This was after the Governor of Imo Hope Uzodimma, who was also the chairman of the APC primary election committee, declared a House of Representatives member, Dennis Idahosa, the winner of the primary election at the Protea Hotel.
But Ugboaja said he was the right person to announce the result of the primary.
“I am the right person to declare the results of this primary election but unfortunately I was not allowed to finish the announcement. We will continue the announcement here (Ize-Iyamu residence).
Also, Edo APC Publicity Secretary, Peter Uwadiae, said the announcement by Uzodimma was illegal.
However, the APC National Working Committee had last Tuesday canceled the contentious primary which produced three winners.
It ordered for a fresh one conducted yesterday which has now produced Okpebholo as the governorship candidate of the party.