Edo APC: Party State Executives Have No Role in Conduct of Primaries – INEC REC
By Reporter
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Edo State, Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, has explained that the Supreme Court of Nigeria has ruled that party primaries are primary duties of political parties.
Onuoha made the clarification today, February 19, 2024 in Benin City, during his maiden parley with journalists.
Dr. Anungbum Onuoha, Edo Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC
Answering questions on the fallouts of the recent All Progressives Congress, APC, primary held last Saturday, Onuoha reminded reporters that the Supreme Court has taken decisions on the monitoring of party primaries, and that party primary is the duty of political parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission role was only observatory.
He added that the APC State Executives have no role in the conduct of primaries.
“Our own is to supervise and in doing such supervision, the party will tell us the venue. It is not the state chapter of the party that will tell us the venue.
“The national body will write to INEC national chairman of the venue, and the date and the time of the primary, and that we have followed strictly.
“Any political party primaries that were not minuted to us by our headquarters, we will not monitor.
“We were notified by APC and we monitored the one we were invited to Lushville Hotel. I was there, that was where I went,” he said.
The APC primary that was held last Saturday produced Mr. Dennis Idahosa as the candidate of the party. However, another aspirant, Senator Monday Okpebholo was declared a candidate in a private residence after about four of the electoral officers were wisked away from Lushvile Hotel, official venue of the primary election.
The Video that emerged later saw some disillusioned men announcing Okpebholo as winner.
While declaring Mr. Dennis Idahosa as the candidate, the chairman of Edo Primary Committee, Mr. Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo State told members of the press that the venue was moved to Protea due to the schemishes at Lushvile hotel earlier in the day.
