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Edo Guber: APC Crisis Deepens As Idahosa Writes INEC, Demands Recognition As Candidate

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The crisis birthed by the governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State has taken a new dimension as an aspirant in the election, Hon Dennis Idahosa has written to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), requesting the election umpire not to receive any other name as the candidate of the party apart from him.

In a letter written by Wole Olanipekun (SAN), marked: WOC/ABJ/VOL.01/074/2024, dated, March 4th, 2024 and addressed to Mahmud Yakubu, Idahosa said a legal action with Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/274/2024 between himself vs Sen. Monday Okpebholo, the APC and the INEC had already been instituted.

In the letter addressed to the INEC chairman, the House of Representatives member and aspirant in the governorship primary is claiming the candidacy of the party.

Idahosa who urged INEC to take cognizance of the suit, insisted that he won the February 17 2024 exercise monitored by the INEC where he was declared winner.

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He added that there was no basis for the supplementary election ordered by the leadership of the party as no reason was given for the decision.

He also argued that the 20th February was not a standalone election but a continuation of the February 17th exercise and so the results of the 17th exercise cannot be jettisoned.

READ ALSO: [JUST IN] Edo Poll: Ex-Labour Party Guber Aspirant Resigns From Party

He said: “The record of INEC/the Commission will show that, under your leadership, the Commission monitored the Edo State APC primary election for the nomination of the Governorship candidate of the APC pursuant to the prior notification that the primary election will specifically hold on 17th February, 2024.

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“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, 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).

READ ALSO: Primary: Four Edo APC Governorship Aspirants Reject Uzodimma

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“Our client is aware that the APC subsequently confirmed to INEC that the primary election held as scheduled on 17th February, 2024; however, without giving any reason, indicated that the election was inconclusive and will be completed on 22nd February, 2024 and invited INEC to monitor the completion exercise.

“At the end and in respect of the completion exercise, Sen. Monday Okpebholo was said to have scored 12, 433 votes whilst our client was allocated 6,541 votes. Sen. Monday Okpebholo scored 100 votes at the primary election of 17th February, 2024 (a copy of the result sheet from the completion primary election on 22nd February, 2024 certified by INEC is attached as Annexure 3).

“Our client disagrees that the primary election of 17th February, 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.

“As things stand, INEC is in custody of two results for the APC primary election for the 2024 Governorship election in Edo State (one dated 17th February, 2024, and the other dated 23rd February, 2024).

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READ ALSO: Edo APC Gov Candidate Gets Party’s Certificate Of Return

“The summation of the votes in both results demonstrates clearly that our client won the primary election even if his votes from the 17th February, 2024 results are the only ones reckoned with.

“Put differently, an addition of the votes of all the other aspirants from both results will neither match nor supersede our client’s votes from 17th February, 2024.At best (assuming it is valid), the completion primary election of 22nd February, 2024 was a supplementary election.

“Fortunately, the Commission under your leadership has had cause to conduct supplementary elections including the 2018 governorship election in Osun State where a winner was declared by INEC upon a summation of the votes from the main and supplementary election.

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READ ALSO: [JUST IN] Edo APC Primary: Protest Rocks Party Secretariat In Benin

“The decision of the Commission to make a return incorporating both balloting exercises (since they were part of the same process) was affirmed by the Supreme Court in Adeleke v. Oyetola (2020) 6 NWLR (Pt. 1721) 440 at 555. Prior to the Osun scenario, INEC had also declared the 2016 governorship election in Kogi State inconclusive and conducted a supplementary election.

“The Commission declared a winner upon the summation of the votes from both balloting exercises and the correctness of the same was affirmed by the Supreme Court in Faleke v. INEC (2016) 18 NWLR (Pt. 1543) 61 at 121.

“The representation by APC to INEC that the process of 22nd February,2024,was a completion acknowledges that it is not a standalone and indeed has its foundation in the election of 17th February, 2024.

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“In the prevailing circumstances, it has thus become compelling that the Commission maintains fidelity with its earlier referenced precedents in Kogi and Osun States and takes full cognizance of the results from the 17th February, 2024 primary election in accepting and subsequently publishing the nomination of APC’s candidate.

“The Commission will also appreciate that there are pending reliefs for injunction in Suit No.FHC/ABJ/CS/274/2024 and are urged not to take any step that will either pre-empt the court or prejudice the ongoing judicial process.”

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Edo 2024: My unforgivable sin that made Oshiomole my permanent enemy-Obaseki

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Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Friday, disclosed the unforgivable sin that made Senator Adams Oshiomole his permanent enemy.

He revealed that his declaration of state burial for the late Chief Tony Anenih, a top chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a highly revered elder statesman, during his first term as an All Progressives Congress (APC) governor, was the unforgivable sin he committed against the Senator and for which he refused to forgive him.

Obaseki made this assertion at the ongoing PDP campaign rally held at Opujie Primary School, Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area where Chief Anenih came from.

He said “When Chief Anenih died, I was not in PDP, but I declared a state burial for him because of his contributions to our dear state and Nigeria. This was one of the things that created issues between me and Oshiomhole who never wanted it. He considered it an unforgivable sin which he could not overlook. But I have to do what is good. We are all one. Edo State is one.

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“And that is why I am here today. For Edo to be one and united, I have to support Esan man for governor. And not just Esan man but a capable, competent, intellectually sound with good track record in the person of Asue Ighodalo.

“The candidate the APC brought was a Benin man and that the APC never believed in an Esan governorship agenda or an Esan man becoming governor until it dawned on them so they hurriedly packaged one through the back door.”

He declared that the need to move Edo forward requires a candidate like Asue Ighodalo.

“The PDP candidate is more experienced and competent to take Edo to the next level and so I urge you all to come out en-masse and vote on September 21 and elect him as the next governor by voting for the PDP,” he said.

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In his address, Ighodalo thanked the people, saying “Uromi is a great place with great people. It is the pride of Esanland.”
He promised to complete all ongoing projects in Esanland I will complete all on and create more. “We will complete all ongoing projects in Esan North East and across all Esanland. Be it water, roads, hospitals, schools or anything, we will complete them and create new ones.

“Edo will be self sufficient under my administration and become a state other states will come to. With us Edo will not suffer poverty.

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NNPP dissolves five state excos, sets up caretaker panels

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The National Working Committee of the New Nigeria People’s Party, on Thursday, announced the dissolution of the executive committees of five state chapters of the party.

The affected states are Taraba, Gombe, Benue, Oyo and Bauchi.

This was disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja by the NNPP’s National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ladipo Johnson.

Johnson explained that the move was part of the resolutions reached at the end of an emergency meeting of the NNPP in Abuja on Thursday.

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According to him, the party made the decision with the ultimate aim of repositioning and revitalising its membership strength in the affected states.

The spokesman also noted that the dissolved state executives would be replaced with caretaker committees in line with the party constitution.

He said, “By the virtue of Articles 14.2.1 (iv, v) and 15.2.1 (xvi) of the party’s constitution as amended on the 6th April 2024, the National Working Committee of the party is cloaked with the powers and has on this day, 5th September 2024, dissolved the entire executive structures from the state down toward the level of the party in Taraba, Gombe, Benue, Oyo and Bauchi States.

“The dissolved executive committees shall in accordance with the party’s constitution be replaced by caretaker committees, which will be announced in a few days, for the stipulated period.”

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The NNPP also expressed appreciation to the outgoing state executives for their service to the party and urged them to be ready to serve in other capacities in the future.

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2027: Obi appoints Dr. Tanko as Interim National Coordinator of Obidient Movement

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The Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has appointed Dr. Yunusa Tanko as the Interim National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide.

This move which is part of efforts to consolidate the gains made during the 2023 presidential election, where Obi’s candidacy brought the previously obscure LP to national prominence.

The Obidient Movement played a key role in making the LP a household name, with Obi’s candidacy proving to be a formidable force, winning in key areas like Lagos and Abuja.

With ongoing crises within the LP showing no signs of resolution, Obi might be exploring other options, with the movement serving as a strategic platform for better bargaining power. This development follows a series of engagements and consultations aimed at establishing a more structured organization.

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During an X Space meeting, Obi expressed gratitude to the over 165 individuals who submitted ideas and suggestions for the movement’s structure.

He commended the engagement and consultation team for their swift progress in managing the consultation process.

According to Obi, Dr. Tanko’s appointment is a strategic move designed to drive the movement forward, leveraging his expertise and dedication.

He encouraged supporters to continue engaging with the movement, emphasizing the importance of collective effort in building a stronger organization.

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Since its inception, the Obidient Movement has gained significant momentum, with supporters rallying behind Obi’s vision for a better future both within Nigeria and globally.

This appointment marks a significant milestone in the movement’s evolution, transitioning from a grassroots phenomenon to a more structured organization.

In Obi’s words:

“Last week, I held an X Space to announce the start of a series of engagements that will help establish this structure. To drive this process, I set up a team to manage these conversations. This team was tasked with holding a series of consultations and engagements. I want to sincerely thank everyone who showed up at the engagement meeting they recently held. I also want to thank the team for how fast they moved the conversation and the consultation process.

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“The team has provided me with a preliminary report. Last week, they put out a link for the submission of ideas and documents on how we should structure the movement. I want to extend my gratitude to the over 165 people who submitted their ideas and suggestions through the link provided by the Engagement and Consultation Team and those who attended a recent consultation meeting held on Saturday.

“We received a wide range of insights, including ideas on building an inclusive structure with a strong grassroots presence, leveraging technology to optimize our operations and secure our votes, and innovative suggestions for grassroots mobilization. Indeed, we have brilliant minds in our movement, and this was evident in the quality of the ideas we received.

“This is just the beginning. We are committed to ensuring that every member of this movement is heard and included as we build our structure. There will be more consultations at the regional level, and I encourage everyone to participate when called upon.

“Announcing Interim Leadership: Moving forward, it is crucial to have leadership in place to support this building process. After extensive consultations within the movement and reviewing feedback from Obidients through the ideas submitted, there is a consensus that the position of National Coordinator should go to the North. From the nominations submitted by key stakeholders in the movement and shared with the engagement team, Dr. Yunusa Tanko emerged as the most nominated candidate for this role. Given his track record, leadership qualities, and commitment to the movement, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Tanko Yunusa will serve as the Interim National Coordinator as we continue laying the foundation for our movement. I want to clarify that all positions filled at this stage are on an interim basis until our structure is fully developed.”

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