The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has explained why it replaced Governor Hope Uzodinma with Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State as the chairman of the Edo state governorship primary election.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka told newsmen in Abuja that the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) had another national assignment earlier trusted on him before the party rescheduled the completion of the Edo shadow election for Thursday.
The party on Wednesday replaced Uzodimma with his counterpart from Cross River to complete the Edo state governorship primary election.
No sooner the three candidates emerged from the February 17 election than the party announced the election inconclusive that pressures were mounted on the National Working Committee (NWC) by some aspirants, groups and party members that Uzodimma should not be allowed to complete the exercise.
But Morka said the party did not sack Uzodimma insisting that the Imo State governor was unavoidably absent to complete the primary election.
“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.”