APC insists Obi must get clearance before visiting Edo, names Igbinedion, Ikpea as candidates for bye-elections

The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has doubled down on its call for Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to obtain security clearance before entering the state.

State APC chairman Jarrett Tenebe reaffirmed this position on Saturday, aligning with Governor Monday Okpebholo’s earlier caution directed at Obi.

He said the advice was based on safety concerns linked to Obi’s previous visit to Edo, which reportedly ended in violence.

“The party believes the governor was right in warning Peter Obi to get security clearance before coming into the state because of the opinion people have about him here, especially considering that during his last visit, three people were killed,” Tenebe said.

Tenebe’s comments came after the APC officially presented Joseph Ikpea and Omosede Igbinedion as the party’s flag bearers for the Edo Central Senatorial District and Ovia Federal Constituency forthcoming bye-elections respectively.

He also pledged that the APC would mount a vigorous campaign ahead of the 2024 governorship polls, insisting that the party was the true victor of the last election.

“Now that we have our candidates, we will hit the ground running. We are going to campaign as if we have never won elections in this state. We want to let the people know that we actually won the last governorship election,” he said.

Ugboaja Stanley, Chairman and Chief Returning Officer of the Edo Central APC Primary Election Committee, confirmed that the senatorial primaries were conducted across all 51 wards in the district’s five local government areas. He announced that Ikpea was chosen as a consensus candidate, backed by all 255 delegates.

In a similar development, Lucky Ajokperiniovo, who oversaw the Ovia Federal Constituency primary, declared Omosede Igbinedion unopposed after the withdrawal of other contenders in her favour.