With the dust yet to settle over parallel primaries held in Edo by the Peoples Democratic Party, more confusion ensued on Saturday over a fresh election for the Edo North Senatorial ticket.
An indication that an election would hold was contained in a letter dated June 3rd, 2022 and signed by the National Organizing Secretary of the party, Umar Bature, and addressed to the state chairman of the party, Tony Aziegbemi.
The letter stated that a senatorial primary would be conducted on Saturday by a five-man committee headed by Sir Daniel Obiora.
In the primary conducted at a public field in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area, the senatorial headquarters for Edo North, Senator Francis Alimikhena scored 181 votes, Pascal Ugbome scored four, while Tony Ezekiel scored three votes.
However, in a swift reaction, the candidate who won the earlier election on May 23rd, Paschal Ugbome, had rejected the outcome of an election, which had him on the ballot but did not participate in.
A statement by Ugbome read, “My attention has been drawn to a concocted, wicked and malicious rumour making the rounds that a purported supplementary senatorial primary has been ordered, supposedly by one national official of our party, PDP, to hold today (Saturday) for the Edo North Senatorial District.
“To the best of my knowledge and that of the leaders of our great party, this is a strange development and certainly not a decision of our party even as its illegality smells to high heaven.”
Aziegbeme, however, told Sunday PUNCH that the election took place due to the withdrawal of the previous winner, Mrs Victoria Edelokun, and Senator Alimikhena is now the new party senatorial flagbearer in Edo North.
He said, “You will recall that senatorial elections were held in three senatorial districts of Edo State. In Edo North, one Mrs Victoria Edelokun emerged as the winner in Edo North. The woman wrote a letter of withdrawal from the contest citing family reasons which I forwarded to the National Secretariat.
“And based on Article 4, Part 2 of the guideline of the primary election, which stipulates that once a candidate emerges and there is a withdrawal, there should be an emergency election.
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