Politics
Just In : Fresh palaver hits APC as aggrieved aspirant alleges rigging, rejects Okpebholo as Edo guber candidate
It is not yet Uhuru for the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as one of the foremost aspirants in the party’s governorship primary held on Friday, Mr Anamero Dekeri, rejected the outcome of the primary, which threw up Senator Monday Okpebholo as the party’s candidate.
Dekeri, a member of the House of Representatives representing the Etsako Federal Constituency, scored 2,566 votes as against Okpebholo, who polled 12,433 votes.
Shortly after the Primaries Committee led by Governor Basset Otu of Cross River State declared Okpebholo the winner, Dekeri rejected the results and vowed to challenge them at the appeal panel.
He alleged that the conduct of the primaries lacked transparency and was skewed in favour of Okpebholo.
Dekeri, also known as Danco, wondered how, after he had mobilised over 65,000 votes, he would now score just above 2,000 votes
The Friday exercise, it would be recalled, was a rescheduled one as the earlier primaries held last Thursday produced three candidates: the persons of Okpebholo, Mr. Dennis Idahosa, the member representing Ovia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, and Dekeri himself.
The development forced the National Working Committee of the party to cancel the results, remove Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State as the Chairman of the Primaries Committee, and ask for the rescheduled primary, which took place on Thursday through Friday at the advertised venue for the exercise.
The Uzodinma-led primaries committee had declared Dennis Idahosa the winner, while Dr. Stanley Ugboajah, the Chief State Returning Officer, declared Okpebholo the winner.
The Chairman of the new Election Committee and Governor Otu announced the final result of the exercise in the capital, Benin, after collating results from 18 local government areas.
Senator Okpebholo polled 12,433 votes to defeat 11 other aspirants who contested the primary election.
Otu announced the votes scored by aspirants as follows: Blessing Agbomhere, 731 votes; Charles Airhiavbere, 1,181; Ize-Iyamu, 378; Sen. Monday Okpebholo, 12, 433, Dennis Idahosa, 6, 541, Clem Agba, 2, 732; Lucky Imansuen, 493; David Imuse, 423; Oserhiemen Osunbor, 634; Gideon Ikhine, 728; Anamero Dekeri, 2, 566; and Ernest Umakhine, 2, 117.
Otu said twelve aspirants contested for the party’s governorship ticket, and Sen. Monday Okpebholo, having satisfied all the requirements and having scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared the winner.
He specifically thanked officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and security agencies, adding that in every contest there must be winners, and he appealed to other aspirants to rally around Okpebholo.
He called on all members of the party to remain united in order to ensure victory for the party in the September 21st governorship election.
Mr Emmanuel Momoh, who spoke on behalf of Senator Okpebholo, expressed gratitude to the members of the committee for a thorough job done, adding that the victory of Okpebholo marked the end of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State.
Elated Okpebholo, in his reaction, thanked members of the party for the overwhelming support and confidence reposed in him to fly the party’s flag.
He said that if elected governor in September, Edo State would witness massive infrastructural development in all sectors of the state.
He said his victory served as a quit notice to the PDP, the present tenant of Osadebey’s Avenue, the seat of power, noting that his emergence was a victory for all, saying “no victor, no vanquished.”
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has criticised the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), warning against what he described as threats to deploy “federal might” to influence the upcoming governorship election in the state.
This was contained in a statement by the governor’s spokesman, Olawale Rasheed.
Speaking at a meeting with leaders and ward officials of the Accord Party across the 332 wards in the state, Adeleke said federal power should be used for good governance rather than electoral manipulation.
The governor accused the APC of dragging the name of President Bola Tinubu into partisan rhetoric by repeatedly claiming that federal institutions would be deployed during the poll.
According to Adeleke, the President has instead been using federal authority to deliver governance programmes, citing infrastructure projects and policy initiatives.
“The President is using federal power to deliver good governance… not for election rigging,” the governor said, urging the opposition to stop what he described as attempts to undermine democratic principles ahead of the election.
He also called on residents of the state to remain vigilant and ensure their votes determine the outcome of the poll.
“Our people are passionate about free and fair elections. Only electoral bandits boast of rigging in a democracy,” he said.
Support For Gov’s Re-Election
At the gathering, several political leaders voiced support for the governor’s re-election bid.
Among them were the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf, and Senator Olu Alabi.
They urged party leaders to intensify grassroots mobilisation and defend votes during the election.
The chairman of the Imole Movement, Wale Oladipo, alongside Osun Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Sunday Bisi, also reaffirmed their support for Adeleke, calling on party structures across the state to work toward his re-election.
Political Realignment
The build-up to the governorship contest has been shaped by significant political realignments in the state.
In December 2025, Adeleke announced his defection from the PDP to the Accord Party after weeks of consultations with stakeholders, citing the leadership crisis within the PDP as the reason for leaving the party.
The governor later emerged as the Accord Party’s sole candidate for the 2026 governorship election in Osun State, positioning himself to seek a second term under the new platform.
His defection triggered political reactions from opposition figures, particularly within the APC, as the party declared its intention to reclaim the state in the forthcoming election.
The contest is expected to be closely watched in the South-West political landscape as parties intensify preparations for the poll scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be held on August 15.
Confusion erupted on Saturday (today) during the Taraba State congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after members of the congress committee reportedly announced two different individuals as the party’s consensus chairman.
The development sparked outrage among delegates and party faithful, triggering heated arguments and protests at the congress venue.
The drama reportedly began when a member of the congress committee announced Victor Samuel Falack as the consensus chairman of the party in the state.
Party members present at the venue were said to have applauded the announcement and affirmed Falack’s nomination, believing the process had been concluded.
Observers at the congress said the declaration was initially received with excitement, as many delegates appeared satisfied that the party had reached a consensus.
However, the situation took a dramatic turn moments later when another member of the committee, reportedly arriving from Abuja, interrupted the proceedings and announced a different individual as the party’s chairman.
The sudden reversal created confusion among delegates, many of whom began questioning the development and demanding clarification from the congress committee.
The conflicting declarations immediately sparked heated exchanges among party members and supporters at the venue.
The disagreement soon degenerated into chaos as some aggrieved delegates and party faithful stormed out of the congress venue in protest.
Witnesses said the protesters chanted slogans and insisted that the earlier declaration of Falack as the consensus candidate be respected.
Some party members also described the newly announced chairman as “unknown” within the party’s structure in the state.
They accused members of the congress committee of attempting to impose a candidate on the party against the wishes of delegates.
Efforts by some party officials to calm the tense situation reportedly failed as tensions among supporters continued to rise.
As of the time of filing this report, the final outcome of the Congress remained uncertain.
Concerned party members have since called on the national leadership of the PDP to urgently intervene and clarify the conflicting announcements in order to prevent further crisis within the party in Taraba State.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has announced the official schedule of activities for the conduct of its 2026 nationwide congresses and national convention.
In a statement released by the party, the ADC said the exercise forms part of its constitutional responsibility to renew leadership structures across all levels of the organisation.
According to the party, the process will begin at the grassroots level and progress through the various tiers of the party structure, starting from polling units and wards, through local government and state levels, before culminating in the National Convention.
The party explained that the congresses are aimed at strengthening its internal democratic processes and repositioning the party ahead of future political activities.
The timetable approved by the party leadership is as follows:
Polling Unit and Ward Congresses: Tuesday, 7 April 2026
Local Government Area Congresses: Thursday, 9 April 2026
State Congresses: Saturday, 11 April 2026
National Convention: Tuesday, 14 April 2026
The ADC urged members across the country to participate actively in the process to ensure a smooth and transparent exercise.
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