Edo Guber: Osunbor asks Tinubu to cancel APC primaries, alleges plot to hand victory to PDP

Senator Oserheimen Osunbor, a top contender in the Edo All Progressives Congress, APC, 2024 gubernatorial primary, has urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the crisis that is trailing the exercise.

Osunbor has also called for the cancellation of the primaries, which has so far produced three APC gubernatorial flag bearers.

Speaking at a press conference in Iruekpen, his hometown, Osunbor alleged that the election did not take place in any of the 18 local government areas of Edo State.

He claimed that party officials deployed from the Abuja office of the National Organising Secretary were kept in hotels in Benin and did not perform their assigned roles.

“On Saturday, 27th, February 2024 all registered members of APC across Edo State came out to vote for their preferred candidate for the 21 September governorship election.

“To their disappointment, the election did not take place anywhere that I know of across the 18 local government areas of Edo State. The party officials deployed from the Abuja office of the National Organising Secretary to conduct the elections at the various wards and local government areas of Edo State were kept in hotels in Benin.

“There is no record or video of any of them performing their assigned roles in the election at their respective designated points,” Osunbor stated.

He specifically mentioned his Ward 6 of Esan LGA, where he stated that no electoral official of the party turned up despite over 200 members assembling and eagerly waiting to cast their votes

Osunbor expressed disbelief at a video purportedly showing the result of the Esan West election being announced by a lady said to be a returning officer, calling it a charade.

He added,” What we saw on television was not result of election but allocation of votes by some persons in Benin to each of the aspirants.

“In the end, two candidates have been announced as winners. Sen. Monday Okpebholo and Hon. Denis Idahosa in a primary election that was never held or was not conducted in accordance with the law and guidelines.

“This charade confirms the widespread suspicion that there is a deliberate plan by some people to create crises in Edo State APC, instigate bitterness among the members and set the public against the party in order to aid the victory of the presumed PDP candidate.

“They are labouring to present a weak APC candidate that will be easily over-run and defeated by the presumed PDP candidate during the election.

“They are not working in the interest of APC but of PDP. We must avoid a repeat of the scenario which led to the defeat of APC in 2020.”

Osunbor appealed to President Bola Tinubu to investigate the allegations and order the cancellation of the election, calling for another primary election to be conducted ahead of the INEC deadline.

“I make this appeal as the most popular aspirant with name recognition and acceptability throughout the length and breadth of Edo State,” he stressed.