2023: PDP Holds Parallel Primaries in Edo   •INEC monitors exercise by Orbih group

By Deborah Coker

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo on Sunday joined its counterparts across the country to conduct primaries to elect candidates for the state assembly as well as the House of Representatives.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however, reports that parallel primaries were held by the two factions in the party simultaneously at different locations across the state.

NAN also reports that from the faction loyal to Gov. Godwin Obaseki, only those who defected with him from the APC to the PDP had continued to emerge as winners.

Similarly, from the camp loyal to Chief Dan Orbih, National Vice Chairman, South South of the PDP, only the old PDP members emerged winners.

Officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) monitored the primaries by the faction loyal to the part’s National Vice Chairman, South South, but the same  could not be said about the faction loyal to the governor.

A chieftain of the party who spoke with NAN on the condition of annonymity, explained that the primaries were not parallel.

According to the chieftain, the party primaries can only be done by the list certified by INEC for the purpose.

“You cannot build something on nothing. Elections were held to elect three ad hoc delegates.

“It is only those three delegates that can participate in this election. And those three ad hoc delegates elections were monitored by INEC, and they have the names of those who emerged.

“You cannot write names of people in Government House to now want to use to conduct election.

“Those on the list of the governor were never monitored by INEC in the election that led to their emergence. Where INEC is, is where primaries are being held, ”  the chieftain said.

Similarly, Mr. Adaze Ewanta, Edo Commissioner for Information, while commenting from the governor’s faction, dismissed reports of parallel primaries.

Ewanta described the exercise as free and fair.

Meanwhile results have begun to trickle in about candidates who emerged from the governor’s faction for some of the state assembly seats and House of Representatives.

Some of the candidates included Mr. Jimoh Ijegbai, House of Representatives Owan Federal constituency, Mr. Blessing Agbebaku, Owan West, Edo House of Assembly.

Others are Mr. Uyi Omosigho, Oredo East, constituency; Kaycee Osamwonyi, Uhunmwode constituency; Natasha Osawaru, Egor constituency; Mr. Sunny Aguebor, Oredo constituency, and Mr Aminu Okodo-Kadidi, Owan East constituency of the state assembly.