18th March, 2024
By Jethro Ibileke
The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has named Dennis Idahosa as running mate to Senator Monday Okpebholo in the 21 September governorship election in Edo State.
The decision is expected to significantly put to rest, the crisis generated following the conduct of the party’s primaries for the gubernatorial election.
It would be recalled that the primary election conducted on 17 February, produced three different winners.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo state who was chairman of the election committee, had announced that Dennis Idahosa won with 40,453 votes, and Monday Okpebholo first runner up with 100 votes.
At a parallel election, Okpebholo was also pronounced winner with over 12,000 votes, just as another aspirant Anamero Dekeri, was also pronounced winner of the same election.
Following an uproar, the party declared the primary election inconclusive and ordered a repeat of the election on 22 February, chaired by the Governor of Cross River, Bassey Otu.
The New primary election eventually produced Monday Okpebholo as winner with 12,433 votes and Dennis Idahosa coming second with 6,541 votes.
Not satisfied with the result declared by the party’s electoral committee, Dennis Idahosa wrote the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), asking it not to recognize Okpebholo as APC’s candidate.
He also headed to a Federal High Court siting in Abuja, to challenge his party’s decision to conduct a fresh election, a suit that is still ongoing.
But, the party’s national leadership at a meeting held overnight, finally broke a truce and resolved the logjam by naming Idahosa as running mate to Okpebholo.
Dennis Idahosa is the incumbent member representing Ovia federal constituency in the House of Representatives, while Monday Okpebholo is the incumbent Senator representing Edo central.