Edo guber: Sen Okpepholo emerges APC candidate

Senator Monday Okpepholo, representing Edo Central senatorial district, has emerged the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.

Okpepholo emerged winner in the APC rescheduled primary after the February 17 primary was declared inconclusive following the emergence of three candidates from three parallel primaries

In one of the primaries, the primary election committee chairman, Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, declared Denis Idahosa, representing Ovia federal constituency as winner and APC candidate for the governorship election with 40, 453 votes.

In another parallel exercise, the returning officer for the election, Dr Stanley Ugboaje, declared Senator Monday Okpepholo, who scored 12,145 votes, winner and the party’s candidate for the election.

Also, the local government returning officer in the third parallel primary, Mr Ojo Babatunde, declared Dekeri Anamero, representing Etsako federal constituency winner and candidate too, having polled 25,384 votes

Announcing the result yesterday after collation at Lushville Hotel and Suites, venue of the exercise, the g overnor of Cross River State and chairman of the election committee, Senator Bassey Otu, said Okpepholo defeated other contestants to emerge winner.

He said Okpepholo polled 12,433 votes to defeat his closet rival, Denis Idahosa, who scored 6,541 votes.

“Having scored the total number of highest votes cast, I hereby declare Monday Okpepholo as the winner and APC candidate for the election,” he said.