Uzodinma out, Otu in: APC rejigs Edo governorship election committee

The All Progressives Congress National Working Committee (APC) has removed the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, as Chairman of the Governorship Elections Committee in Edo State.

This followed the controversy that trailed Saturday’s governorship primary in the state.

A former member of the House of Representatives, Dennis Idahosa, emerged as the winner of the primary election supervised by the Uzodinma committee after he garnered 40,483 votes to defeat eight other aspirants in the exercise.

The Senator representing Edo Central, Monday Okpebholo, later emerged as the party’s governorship candidate at a parallel election held on the same day.

The APC Publicity Secretary in Edo State, Peter Uwadiae, who was at the venue of the election, described the announcement of Idahosa as the winner of the party’s governorship ticket in the state as illegal.

He urged the party members in the state to disregard Governor Uzodinma’s announcement on the outcome of the exercise.

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At least four aspirants led by a former governorship candidate in the state, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, have demanded the removal of the Imo State governor as chairman of the election committee.

Other aggrieved aspirants are – Chief Lucky Imasuen, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and General Charles Airhiavbere (retd).

The party had since rescheduled the governorship primary for Thursday.

The APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, said in a statement on Wednesday that the Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has been picked as the new chairman of the committee.

He said Otu had been mandated to conduct a hitch-free rerun election on Thursday.

Other members of the committee are former Osun State deputy governor, Mrs. Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, APC’s governorship candidate in the 2023 election in Plateau State, Nentanwe Goshwe, Umar Musa, Lawan Garba and Rabiu Suleiman who will serve as the Secretary.

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