A breakdown of the votes cast and secured at the Edo State APC Gubernatorial Primary Election shows that: Godwin Obaseki polled a total of 1,618, while his closest rival, the state’s incumbent deputy governor, Dr Pius Odubu came a distant second with 471.
The primary was held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin, the state capital, commencing at about 5:30pm on Saturday.
In all, 12 candidates contested the primaries, including Oshiuomhole’s deputy, Dr. Pius Odubu.
Others who stood for the primaries supervised by the Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Masari, included Mr. Chris Ogiemwonyi, Mr. Kenneth Imasuangbon, General Charles Airhavbere (retd) and Comrade Peter Esele.
The election, conducted in three centres saw tempers flaring when some agents of the other governorship aspirants reportedly discovered that those about to vote from some of the local government areas were not the same as those that were earlier accredited.
This is also allegations of money changing hands by agents of the favoured candidate which, according to them, was facilitated by the fact that the election was conducted in three different centres.
With the emergence of Obaseki, said to the Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s favoured candidate, the stateg is now set for the election proper as many fear mass defections on the grounds of disenfranchisement of most delegates and party faithful.
Prior to the actual primary, an aspirant of the APC, Don Pedro Obaseki, last Monday, announced his withdrawal from the race as well as his membership of the party.
The university lecturer and film director, who said he hoped to contest the election on a new platform which he is yet to disclose.
Obaseki who is a cousin to the victorious Obaseki told journalists that he had lost faith in the primaries of the APC.
“I have lost faith in the primary process. Unfortunately, I was in Abuja on Thursday and I stumbled into a document that I cannot divulge to the public for security reasons that makes it obviously clear that all those who are buying or who have bought their forms to contest the primaries of the APC are wasting their time.
“As an academic and someone who is guided by thesis, antithesis and synthesis, I elected to withdraw my intention to contest the primaries of the APC, I will not tell you that I no longer a member of the APC but I am more interested in being an E.D.O. (Empower, Develop and Opportunities) man than an APC man, I will rather be an Edo man than being a PDP. I am not running for the election as an APC candidate anymore. I am running for the election as Edo candidate on September 10.
“I have therefore elected upon wide consultations with my immediate and extended family, supporters, friends and well wishers, not to pay the unwholesome fee of N5,500,000 for the expression of interest, and nomination forms of the APC.”
He also said the coming primaries of the APC would be the most expensive in the history of the state as he alleged that the about 3,000 delegates would be bribed with N200,000.
Similarly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tuesday, had cause to distance itself from allegation of involvement in sales of Permanent Voter’s Card by political parties in Edo State, as the APC prepared for its primary June 18.
This was in addition tension which reached fever pitch within the APC over allegations by delegates to the state primary that their PVCs have been cloned by party’s aspirants to the poll.
Reacting to allegations of INEC’s involvement, the Edo State Resident Electoral Commission (REC), ), Mr. Sam Olumekun said only names of candidates submitted by the National executive of the participating political parties in the September governorship election will be accepted by INEC.
The Edo state REC added that the commission is committed to delivering credible elections in the state while assuring the electorate that it has concluded plans to ensure the use of the Smart Card Readers in the forthcoming Edo state governorship election.
Addressing newsmen at the state commission office in Benin city, Olumekun said 490,000 PVC’s were uncollected by registered voters out of total of 1.7million registered voters in the state, which he noted accounted for almost 30percent of the entire numbers of registered voters in the state.
Olumekun while reacting to allegations making the rounds that some persons belonging to a particular party in the state were in the business of buying and selling PVC’s.
“INEC is legally bound to accept whoever the National Executive of the participating political parties in the state governorship election present. We do not know anything about selling of PVC’s. Our job is to monitor political parties primary and we will only do just that.”, Olumekun said.
He noted that the commission is preparing real hard to ensure a credible and transparent governorship polls in the state, adding that, at least Nine Political parties have indicated interest to contest the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Reports had emerged of brewing crisis rocking the APC as stakeholders in the Edo state chapters of the party alleged cloning of delegates’ Permanent Voters Card by some leaders of the party.
The crisis which first surfaced, Monday, particularly among delegates in Ikpoba Okha local government area has however been described as ‘rape on democracy.’
It was gathered that a meeting of the delegates which was called by some leaders of the party at the Local Government level was asked to ‘cross check’ the cards
Raising the alarm, Tuesday, Curtis Ugbo, a Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Edo State Governor , Adams Oshiomhole, said: “What is happening now is the same thing that played out in Bayelsa primaries. You will recall that I was part of the entourage that followed our Comrade governor to conduct the botched Bayelsa APC primaries.
“He sent us to go outside and investigate what was happening outside the Samson Siasia stadium and we found out that the delegates’ voters card had been collected from them prior to the day set for the primary and had been cloned.
“So the actual delegates were locked outside the stadium while the fake ones where allowed inside the stadium.”
Confirming the collection of the voters card, former Chairman of Ikpoba Okha local government, Barrister Itohan Ogbeide Osahon saidL “Since the primary is approaching ,and the only means of identification is either the use of driver’s license or the use of voters card which is accessible to everyone so we wanted to know those from our local government whether they have these means of identification.
“So we wanted to know those from Ikpoba Okha delegates if they have the PVC or not which could be a means for them to get access to the venue of the primaries. This was done with the intention to give appropriate advice to those that have and so that we will properly brief them what next line of action to adopt.
Speaking about fears of cloning, the former council boss added; “the point is that with the way that card is been designed, there is no way it can be cloned. The card cannot be used by any other person other than the original owner. What we wanted to do was to find out if they actually have a means of identification and if they don’t maybe we can then tell them to go to the high court to do affidavit, before the primaries or declare that your card is missing, so this is just the purpose of us asking them to come with their PVC.”
In a related development, the Edo State APC Publicity Secretary, Comrade Godwin Ehrahon, Tuesday, asked delegates of the party not to surrender their PVCs.
