The All Progressives Congress, APC has dismissed news reports to the effect that Governor Hope Uzodimma was sacked as chairman of the party’s election committee for the party governorship primaries in Edo State.
The APC in a statement on Thursday said that Uzodimma was unavailable for the rescheduled primary in Edo because of prior commitment at the National Economic Council, NEC.
Party spokesman, Felix Morka in a statement made available to GWG.ng said the clarification came following news reports that Uzodimma was sacked by the APC from the committee handling the election in Edo State.
He said: The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to reports in sections of the media suggesting that the Governor of Imo State, and Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), His Excellency, Hope Uzodinma, was sacked or dropped as the Chairman of the Edo Gubernatorial Primary Election Committee, and replaced with the Governor of Cross River State, His Excellency, Bassey Otu.
We wish to clarify that Governor Uzodinma was neither “sacked” nor “dropped”, as has been erroneously reported, but was unavoidably unavailable to lead the completion of the Party’s Edo State Gubernatorial Primary Election Process due to his prior scheduled attendance of, and presentation of a report, to the National Economic Council meeting today February 22, 2024.
As a result, His Excellency Bassey Otu, Governor of Cross Rivers State, who was the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, graciously accepted to serve as Chairman, and to complete the Edo State Gubernatorial Primary Election Process.
Mr Morka’s clarification may have come to squash insinuations that the APC may have devalued Uzodimma on account of the controversies that trailed the election in Edo State.