Senator Bassey Otu, the governor of Cross River State and chairman of the Edo State All Progressives Congress’s (APC) governorship direct primary election, has announced that a fresh primary will be conducted in the 192 wards across the 18 local government areas of the state.
Otu said this while addressing reporters at the Lushville Hotel and Suites, Gapiona Avenue, Government Reservation Area (GRA) in Benin on Thursday.
He said the last Saturday’s controversial primary election had been cancelled.
Recall that the ruling APC removed Governor Hope Uzodimma as Chairman of the Elections Committee after the controversy that trailed Saturday’s governorship primary in Edo State, as Otu, was named as his successor.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, saying the Cross River governor has now been saddled with the responsibility of conducting the re-run poll slated for Thursday, February 22.
Other members of the Primary Election Committee include former Osun State deputy governor, Mrs Titilayo Laoye-Tomori; APC’s flagbearer in the Plateau State 2023 governorship election, Nentanwe Goshwe; Umar Musa; Lawan Garba and Rabiu Suleiman who will serve as the Secretary.
The change was made a few hours after four leading aspirants called for Uzodimma’s replacement.
Aspirants like Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Chief Lucky Imasuen, Senator Monday Okpebholo and General Charles Airhiavbere (retd.) said they no longer trust his ability to conduct a free and fair election following the controversy that trailed Saturday’s poll.
Governor Uzodimma who chaired the Edo Primary Election Committee on February 17 declared a member of the House of Representatives, Dennis Idahosa, as the winner of the contest.
According to Uzodimma, the 43-year-old Idahosa polled 40,483 votes to defeat other governorship hopefuls in the race.
Following the controversy that trailed the conduct of the primary, the situation forced the APC National Working Committee to declare the poll inconclusive.
This followed an emergency meeting convened by the party’s National Working Committee on Tuesday night to resolve the lingering crisis arising from the primary conducted by the Senator Hope Uzodimma-led committee, according to the APC spokesman, Felix Morka.