Jonathan Nwokpor
The crisis that rocked the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State during the February gubernatorial primary appears to be continuing, as one of the candidates, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, has written to Professor Mahmud Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), pleading with him to reject any other name as the party’s nominee save his own.
According to ZINGTIE, the lawmaker filed a petition in the National Assembly on behalf of the Ovia Federal Constituency on
Written by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, on March 4, 2024, with the marking WOC/ABJ/VOL.01/074/2024.
Idahosa said in a petition to INEC National Chairman Professor Mahmud Yakubu that a lawsuit, filed under the case number FHC/ABJ/CS/274/2024, has already been filed involving him, Senator Monday Okpebholo, the APC, and the INEC. In it, he asserts the party’s candidacy and requests that INEC grant recognition to the lawsuit.
Idahosa claimed in the lawsuit that he was the winner of the INEC-monitored governorship primary on February 17, 2024.
He believed that he had won the primary. He contended that the party leadership had no right to call a supplementary election as they had not explained their decision.
Additionally, he argued that the rerun primary on February 22 was an extension of the exercise on February 17 and that the outcomes of that exercise should not be disregarded.
He claims that the records kept by INEC will demonstrate that, under your direction, the Commission observed the APC primary election in Edo State for the purpose of nominating the party’s candidate for governor, in accordance with the previous announcement that the primary would take place on February 17, 2024.
“The primary election was indeed held, and our client garnered 40,453 votes (a copy of the result certified by INEC is attached herein as Annexure 1).
“INEC’s report of monitoring the election confirms that. And, at the end of the process, our client was returned as the duly elected candidate of the APC (a copy of the INEC report as certified by the Commission is attached as Annexure 2).
“The APC primary election committee that conducted the election also confirmed that our client won the election, as evidenced by a report signed by all members of the committee (without a single instance of dissent).
“Our client is aware that the APC subsequently confirmed to INEC that the primary election was held as scheduled on February 17, 2024. However, without giving any reason, indicated that the election was inconclusive and will be completed on February 22, 2024, and invited INEC to monitor the completion exercise.
“At the end and in respect of the completion exercise, Senator Monday Okpebholo was said to have scored 12, while our client was allocated 6,541 votes. Senator Monday Okpebholo scored 100 votes at the primary election of February 17, 2024 (a copy of the result sheet from the completion of the primary election on February 22, 2024, certified by INEC is attached as Annexure 3).
“Our client disagrees that the primary election of February 17, 2024 was inconclusive or that there was any basis to schedule what was described as a completion of the process. Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/ 274/2024 has been instituted to ventilate that challenge,” he said.
The results of the APC primary election for the Edo State governorship in 2024—February 17, 2024, and February 23, 2024, respectively—are currently in the hands of INEC, according to his assertion.
Even if his votes from the results on February 17, 2024, are the only ones taken into consideration, he argued that the total of the votes in both results plainly shows that he won the primary election.
Idahosa also argued that the APC’s claim to INEC that the February 22, 2024, process was finished recognizes that it is not a stand-alone election and rather has its roots in the February 17, 2024, election.
However, he urged the commission to recognize that there are outstanding injunction reliefs in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/274/2024 and to refrain from taking any action that might preempt the court or prejudice the ongoing judicial proceedings.
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