Anamero Dekeri, one of the three contenders for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Edo State, today, February 19, stormed the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
Dekeri is alleged to have visited the office to demand his certificate of return following his claim of victory in the party’s primary held on Saturday.
Upon arrival at the party secretariat around 1:30 pm, Dekeri engaged in a brief, 10-minute closed-door meeting with the APC’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.
Although Dekeri refrained from speaking to journalists after the meeting, his visit underscores the growing dispute over the APC governorship ticket in Edo State.
This development follows a series of protests in Benin, the state capital, where a faction of the party’s supporters, comprising youths and women, stormed the APC secretariat.
The protestors are calling for the immediate removal or dissolution of the state’s party executives, currently led by the acting Chairman, Jarret Tenebe, in response to the controversial outcomes of the February 17 shadow poll.
The primary election’s results have been a source of contention, with Governor Hope Uzodimma, Chairman of the Electoral Committee, naming Dennis Idahosa as the winner.
Concurrently, returning officer Stanley Ugboaja declared Monday Okpebholo victorious, and Ojo Babatunde, representing the local government returning officers, announced Dekeri as the winner, leading to a tripartite claim to the gubernatorial ticket.
A source said, “He came with a letter addressed to the NWC through the national chairman demanding they issue him his certificate of return having been declared winner of Saturday’s primary.”
Tenebe, who was earlier seen declaring Okpebholo as their candidate in a viral video on Saturday, in a chat with Punch, called for calm, saying only the leadership of the APC can declare the actual winner.
He said, “The party conducted a primary and somebody emerged. So, within the next few days, you people (journalists) will know who won the primary. It is the National Working Committee that did the primary. So, there is a procedure for announcing the result.
“So, within the next few days, everything will be settled. That is the only thing I can say for now”.
Tenebe was, however, refrained from discussing the call for his sack.