Edo APC youth leader makes a U-turn, backs gov candidate

Edo State All Progressives Congress Youth leader, Tony Adun, has apologised to the party for leading youths and women to vandalise the secretariat after the first primary election on February 17, which threw up three winners.

The crowd who were led by Adun, popularly known as Kabaka, forced their way into the offices and brought out the furniture, bags of rice and other equipment, vowing to stay at the building for seven days or till the state executive council is dissolved.

Adun said that they were protesting the conduct of the officials at the primary election, noting that it was obvious the exco worked against the party.

The protest came after the Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the primary, Governor Hope Uzodimma announced Dennis Idahosa as the winner, while the returning officer, Stanley Ugboaja, declared Monday Okpebholo as the winner.

Also, Ojo Babatunde, who claimed to be representing the returning officers in all the local government, declared Anamero Dekeri as the winner of the election.

With the confusion, the National Working Committee of the party ordered a rerun on February 22 under the Chairmanship of Governor Bassey Otu of Cross Rivers State, who replaced Uzodimma as the head of the electoral committee for the election.

After the exercise, Okpebholo was declared the winner with 12,433 votes to defeat Idahosa, who scored 6,541 votes.

Adun, in a viral video and a statement on Sunday, apologised to the leaders of the party in the state.

He said, “I, Comrade Tony Kabaka, the state youth leader of the APC, wish to apologise to our leaders, women leaders of our great party and all our youths as regards the conduct of aggrieved APC youths during the party primary which took place on the 17th February 2024.

“The party is supreme, I will work with the party and leaders to ensure that our candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, is victorious and I wish to use this medium to congratulate him on his victory at the just concluded party primary.

“I want to urge all youths to embrace peace and let us all work together to make sure we succeed in the general elections come September 2024, I remain a loyal party man.

“I wish to use this opportunity to appeal to our state chairman, Jarret Tenebe, and state secretary, Lawrence Okah, and other members of the state working committee to lead us to rebuild the party and bring all of us together to ensure our party produce the next governor in the elections.”