…APC Feb. 17; PDP, Labour Party Feb. 22
The three major political parties in the 2024 Edo State governorship election and their aspirants are putting their houses in order in readiness for the party primary elections scheduled for February.
The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling party in the state, has since fixed its primary election for 22 February 2024, pegging its nomination form at N21 million, with a notable 50 percent discount offered to youths aged between 25 and 30.
According to a timetable and schedule of activities released in November and signed by its National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, the PDP said aspirants who completed and submitted their expression of interest forms are expected to purchase nomination forms between January 19-25, while January 27 is the deadline for the submission of completed nomination forms. The primary election holds February 22 while all appeals on the governorship primary will be heard on February 24.
So far, the party seems to be placing a bet on the former chairman of Sterling Bank Plc, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, who formally declared his intention to fly the party’s flag last Wednesday.
Ighodalo’s political profile has continued to rise after fellow aspirants from his favoured Edo Central Senatorial District dropped their aspiration and declared their support for him, leading to his emergence as the Edo Central PDP’s consensus aspirant.
Ighodalo, a former Chairman of the Alaghodaro Economic Summit, will be going to the primaries with a former member of the House of Representatives, Engr. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, who also declared his intention to run for the 2024 governorship election in Edo State two days ahead of Ighodalo.
The Deputy Governor of the state, Comrade Philip Shaibu, is also in the race.
In the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), a special committee set up by the party’s leadership headed by House of Representatives Majority Leader, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, at the weekend pruned down the number of governorship aspirants in the party from 29 to six.
The committee disclosed that six aspirants scaled through the first hurdle and were cleared to commence their campaign and partake in the February 17, 2024 primary election.
The six, according to the committee, are Dr. Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe (Owan East Local Government Area), Prince Clem Agba (Etsako East Local Government Area), Mr. Lucky Imasuen (Ovia North East Local Government Area), Mr. Dennis Idahosa (Ovia South West Local Government Area), Dr. David Imuse (Esan West Local Government Area), and Senator Monday Okpebholo (Esan Central Local Government Area).
The APC National Working Committee had earlier ruled out the possibility of zoning of the governorship slot while also saying it had adopted the direct mode of primary for picking its candidate for the election. The party also stated that it would attach a letter of undertaking to its nomination forms which aspirants are expected to sign to indicate that whatever the outcome of the primary election, they would not go to court.
However, a governorship aspirant on the APC platform and two-time governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, dismissed the report of the committee, saying that the party’s NWC has given clear directives that all aspirants for the governorship race are free to purchase nomination forms.
“I want to assure you that I am in the race and by next week by the grace of God I will collect the form. Any Edo person is worthy of the ticket and I’m not a stranger. I want to assure you that your support will not be in vain and there is nothing to worry about,” Ize-Iyamu told a mammoth crowd of supporters and some APC leaders at the Benin airport on Saturday.
“When you are contesting for an election there are bound to be intrigues and all kinds of rumours and stories. The highest organ of our party issued a statement by the publicity secretary and particularly to Edo governorship election and specifically said that all those who have aspiration to run for governorship should go and collect the forms, and that they are the only one to set up a screening committee which they will do at the appropriate time, and if you look at the earlier timetable released, you will find the schedule there. Let me announce that by next week I will collect the form.
“I know there were rumours that some people have been excluded but by that NWC release, that is not possible anymore. The only people that can exclude aspirants is the committee set up by the NWC. I want to assure you that I will contest and win the election,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, on Wednesday in Abuja, said its National Working Committee (NWC) at its meeting last Tuesday approved the commencement of the sale and submission of forms between 25 January and 11 February. The screening of the governorship aspirants would be held on 14 February while the primary election comes up on 22 February, and the resolution of disputes or appeals arising from the primaries on 23 February.
The NWC also approved N5 million as the cost of the Expression of Interest form and N25 million for the Nomination Form, while it exempted female aspirants from paying for expression of interest form only.
On the party’s primary election, Ifoh said the NWC “approved direct primary election wherein a ward and local government congresses shall hold to elect the flag bearer”.
“NWC approved the sale of forms to every interested aspirant from the state who are Nigerians and indigene or resident in the state,” Ifoh said.
“NWC approved that the Fees for Expression of Interest shall be Five Million Naira only (N5,000.000.00) while the Nomination Form shall be Twenty-Five Million Naira only (N25,000.000.00),” he said.
