Edo 2024: Tension As Court Sits Over APC Candidacy

There is anxiety in the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as a Federal High Court in Abuja will on Thursday (today) commence sitting on a suit brought before it by Dennis Idahosa, the self-acclaimed governorship candidate of the party.

Idahosa does not want the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to accept any other person except him as APC candidate.

This development is coming on the heels of a deadlock over plans to “import” a governorship aspirant in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, into the APC, as running mate to Senator Monday Okpebholo.

Justice James Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had last week fixed March 14, 2024, for the hearing of the action filed by Idahosa.

Granting Idahosa’s application made through his counsel, Bode Olanipekun of Wole Olanipekun & Co., Justice Omotosho directed service of the originating processes on Senator Okpebholo, by delivering same to the clerk of the National Assembly and/or to an adult person or official or secretary at the Senate chambers of the National Assembly, Three Arms Zone, Abuja; and/or delivering same to an adult person or official or secretary at the 2nd defendant’s office located at 40, Blantyre Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.

Idahosa is praying the court to declare him as the APC candidate for the Edo governorship election, having scored 40,453 votes, arguing that the declaration of Okpebholo, who scored 100 votes at the primaries of February 17, 2024, is an infraction of the Electoral Act, APC’s constitution and the guidelines for primary elections.

The move to make Ogbeide-Ihama Okpebholo’s running mate is said to be championed by some leaders of both the APC and PDP from the South-South and has hit a brick wall as supporters of Idahosa at the meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday insisted that the candidate of the party is Idahosa.

Meanwhile, it was gathered that some leaders of the party from Edo South, who were also aspirants before the primary but later stepped down and mobilised their supporters for Okpebholo, have threatened to address a press conference and withdraw from the activities of the party if Idahosa is made the candidate.