Edo 2024: APC chieftain accuses Oshiomhole of stoking crisis in party’s primary

A crisis appeared to have rocked the APC in the state after three candidates emerged from parallel primaries of the party for the 21 September Edo State governorship election.

A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Emmanuel Odigie, has accused a senator from the state, Adams Oshiomhole, of stoking a crisis in the party’s governorship primary election in the state.

The crisis appeared to have rocked the APC in the state after different factions of the party held three parallel primaries on Saturday which produced, different candidates, namely Dennis Idahosa, Anamero Dekeri, and Monday Okpebholo, the senator for Edo Central District.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party subsequently declared the governorship primary election in the state inconclusive, following the development.

Speaking when he appeared as a guest on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Wednesday, Mr Odigie, claimed that Mr Oshiomhole had been causing a crisis in the APC’s primary in a bid to install a House of Representatives member, Mr Idahosa, as the party’s candidate.

The APC chieftain, who is also a former commissioner of Edo State Oil & Gas Producing Development Commission, accused Mr Oshiomhole of using hired thugs to harass voters, beat up party officials and made away with their valuables during the botched exercise.

“All these are happening because our leader, (Adams) Oshiomhole, who I respect so much, wants to become the senate president in 2027. He just wants to use this young boy (Idahosa) to get access to the Edo State treasury to fund his ambition to be senate president. But he must not set the party on fire,” he said.

Mr Odigie said although he has been an ally of Mr Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North at the Senate, the senator should retrace his steps and stop trying to destroy a party that gave him a ticket to serve as governor for two terms in the south-south state.

Oshiomhole, more crisis
On Tuesday, the NWC of the APC announced that the party’s primary election would be concluded on Thursday.

But the former commissioner said, that while he appreciates the APC’s NWC for their intervention, the primary will be fruitless even on Thursday if the party’s national leadership does not stop Mr Oshiomhole from further stocking crisis in the party’s exercise.

“All the NWC (of the APC) needs to do is to appeal to our leader, Adams Oshiomhole, to please allow peace in Edo and allow free and fair primaries,” he said.

Oshiomhole reacts
When contacted on Wednesday afternoon, Simon Ebegbulem, the spokesperson to Senator Oshiomhole, denied the allegations.

Mr Ebegbulem said Mr Oshiomhole, as the leader of the party in the state, has only been fighting hard to ensure due process was followed and the emergence of a “credible” candidate for the party.

“Oshiomhole wants the party to recover the state and like every other leader, he is making sure that they present a credible candidate that will fly the party’s ticket in the general election,” he said.

He criticised Mr Odigie for throwing “such tantrums” on the senator, saying that the matters he raised on the TV show were “internal party affairs.”