Toba Owojaiye reporting
Abuja, Nigeria
Honorable Dennis Idahosa has taken a significant step in his bid for candidacy in the upcoming Edo State Governorship election. Idahosa, who emerged victorious in the APC primary election, has formally written to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urging for his name to be the sole consideration as the APC candidate.
In a document made available to Truth Live News, the genesis of this matter stems from the primary election held on February 17, 2024, where Idahosa secured 40,453 votes, as certified by INEC (Annexure 1). Moreover, INEC’s monitoring report attested to Idahosa’s victory, confirming him as the duly elected candidate (Annexure 2). This affirmation was further solidified by the APC primary election committee, whose unanimous endorsement of Idahosa’s win was documented without dissent.
However, a twist in the tale occurred when the APC subsequently informed INEC that the primary election, initially deemed conclusive, was now labeled as inconclusive. The party scheduled a completion exercise for February 22, 2024, inviting INEC’s monitoring yet again, but no explicit reason was provided for this decision.
In response to these developments, Idahosa, through his legal representation, Wole Olanipekun & Co, penned a letter to INEC’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu. The missive, dated March 4, 2024, underscored Idahosa’s plea for recognition as the sole APC candidate, citing the established facts of his victory and the procedural irregularities surrounding the primary election’s conclusion.
This latest correspondence marks the beginning of a long legal battle that may mar the chances of APC in the forthcoming September gubernatorial elections.
