.Aspirants mobilize members, supporters

.Police says it has learnt its lessons from Saturday’s exercise

By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – SOME governorship aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been mobilizing their supporters and followers for the rescheduled elections to conclude the party’s governorship primary election today.

 The three aspirants claiming victory in last Saturday’s exercise said they were sure of getting the ticket of the party at the end of today’s exercise as they have directed their coordinators to mobilise members of the party.

  Apparently yielding to pressure from some aspirants, a “Revised 2024 Edo State Gubernatorial Primary Election and Appeal Committees” issued by the National Organising Secretary Secretary of the party, H.E. Sulaiman Muhammed Argungu showed that Sen. Bassey Out, governor of Cross Rivers State is now the chairman of the seven man panel to conclude the APC governorship primary election.

 One of the coordinators for Sen Monday Okpebholo, one of the aspirants claiming the ticket, Paul Ohonbamu said they were optimistic that his principal would emerge as the candidate “He was already leading in the eight local government areas already announced and I believe he would continue in that trend”.
  Anamero Dekero another claimant to the ticket in a statement directed “all LGA Cordinators, Ward Coordinators and Ward Canvassers to immediately begin fresh mobilization ahead of another round of primaries scheduled for Thursday February 22nd, 2024”.

Police
The Edo State Police Command described the APC primary election as an eye-opener for it, and would no longer treat any such election as just the party’s affairs. 

   The Command’s spokesman, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, stated this Wednesday in his office while briefing journalists on the preparedness of the Command ahead of today’s primary elections. 

 Recall that while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), would be having their delegate election at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, the APC will also continue last Saturday’s delegate election declared inconclusive by the party’s leadership. 

He said “You could remember that we had just a little hitch of a particular party delegate election. That has been an eye-opener to Edo State Police Command, that we should no longer see it as a party affair,” Nwabuzor said.

   According to him, “They are people with diverse interests, people with diverse behaviours, people with different attitudes and characters. 

  “So, this time around, we are not going to view it as party affairs, we are going to niew it very seriously to ensure that the right thing is done and that the lives and properties of these party members are protected.” 

  Commenting further on arrangements and deployment of operatives for the exercise, the Edo police spokesman said the Command is working with all other sister security agencies to ensure that we do well in this exercise. 

   “The Nigerian Police, Edo State Command is very, very ready to ensure that there is a peaceful, hitch-free delegate election cut across political parties in Edo state. We are ready to ensure that the lives and properties of these delegates, the party men and women are well protected and secure.

   “The Commissioner of Police has adequately deployed officers and men for the exercise and we believe that the number of officers, the caliber of officers and me he had deployed for this exercise, we are not hoping to see any form of violence or civil disobedience,” he said. 

   He however warned the participating political parties and their delegates to be of good behavior and conduct themselves in lawful manners. 

   “We are aware that some delegates are arriving Benin city already and we are aware that a particular political party will be conducting a fresh delegate election tomorrow and we are equally aware that a particular political party whose election was inconclusive will be doing their own election tomorrow as well, so, it is a very, very tight schedule and we are on top of the game, we are very, very battle ready to ensure that the right thing is done and it will come without any violence. 

   “The Commissioner of Police, Edo State, CP Funsho Adegboye, is appealing to party members of these different political parties in Edo state who are conducting these delegate primaries to go about it in a lawful manner according to the rules of the game.”