The elected governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on Saturday, received his certificate of return at party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
This was just as one of the governorship aspirants in the said primary election, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, led a protest to the APC national secretariat, demanding justice.
While presenting the certificate to the candidate, APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, said the party was on the way to win the September 21 governorship election having produced a saleable candidate.
Ganduje said: “Three aspirants were declared as “candidates”. That process was not concluded and I asked the Committee to go back. Coincidentally, the chairman of the Committee had a presentation to make at the National Economic Council and that’s why he could not go back to conclude the exercise. That was why his deputy, Governor of Cross River State became the new chairman.
“I am happy to tell you that as we directed, as we monitored, the Direct Primaries took place in 192 wards. We have the record, the results were collated in each local government, and the results are with us. The results were announced after collations. As a result, Senator Okpebholo scored the highest votes and therefore declared the winner.
“Some of the aspirants came forward to congratulate him. Those who couldn’t, from the reports we heard, they also called his line. What is important to us is to win Edo State. We knew what happened in the past, but now we are in the way to win that election, because we believe that we have a product that is saleable, refined, well packaged, a product that we can deliver.”
In his acceptance speech, Senator Okpebholo said his ambition to become the next Edo State governor was not based on tribal and ethnic inclinations or religious calculations but to build and develop the state for the people.
“I shall leverage on the collective strength of all of us and the passion for a greater Edo. I am humbly requesting all my brothers and sisters who contested the primaries with me, to put the contest behind and join me in the challenging task of making Edo State the heartbeat again with development across the broad spectrum of human endeavours.
“This journey of meaningful development has no respect for tribal and ethnic inclinations nor religious calculations. It is about building Edo by Edo people.
“I will immediately embark on visitation to our political leaders and my co-contestants for unity of purpose. We are all in it together and by God’s grace, our great party APC will return to Osadebe Avenue come November this year.”
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