At the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Saturday, Senator Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) elected candidate for governor of Edo State, received his certificate of return.
APC National Chairman Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje stated the party was going to win the September 21 governorship race because it had a viable candidate when he gave the certificate to the candidate.
Ganduje said: “Three aspirants were declared as “candidates”. That process was not concluded and I asked the Committee to go back. Coincidentally, the chairman of the Committee had a presentation to make at the National Economic Council and that’s why he could not go back to conclude the exercise. That was why his deputy, Governor of Cross River State became the new chairman.
“I am happy to tell you that as we directed, as we monitored, the Direct Primaries took place in 192 wards. We have the record, the results were collated in each local government, and the results are with us. The results were announced after collations. As a result, Senator Okpebholo scored the highest votes and therefore declared the winner.
“Some of the aspirants came forward to congratulate him. Those who couldn’t, from the reports we heard, they also called his line. What is important to us is to win Edo State. We knew what happened in the past, but now we are in the way to win that election, because we believe that we have a product that is saleable, refined, well packaged, a product that we can deliver.”
During his acceptance speech, Senator Okpebholo stated that his goal of building and developing Edo State for the people was what motivated him to run for governor in the future, rather than following any tribal or ethnic inclinations or religious calculations.
At the same time, the All Progressives Congress (APC) national secretariat in Abuja was the scene of a large-scale protest led by Hon. Dennis Idahosa, one of the candidates for governor of Edo State in the just concluded APC primary election, seeking justice.
The governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, who was appointed the chairman of the APC Primary poll Committee had earlier pronounced Hon. Idahosa the winner of the primary poll.
He also threatened to take the party to court if justice was not served.On the other hand, he pleaded with President Bola Tinubu Ahmed Tinubu to convene the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to discuss the issue.