By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, says President Bola Tinubu is not in support of zoning the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship ticket in the state.
The leadership of APC declared the governorship primary election held in Edo inconclusive after some aspirants were declared winners of the exercise.
Thursday has been fixed for a fresh primary in the state.
Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo and chairman of the panel when the primary was held on Saturday, had declared Dennis Idahosa, a member of the House of Representatives, as the winner of the election.
However, Ojo Babatunde, spokesperson of the returning officers, said Sunday Dekeri, a lawmaker representing Etsako federal constituency in the House of Representatives, polled 25,384 votes to defeat Idahosa.
Speaking with State House correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday after a meeting with Tinubu, Oshiomhole said he came to seek clarification from the president on rumours regarding the primary.
The former Edo governor said the president expressed commitment to a free and fair primary.
“The president has affirmed that he has no voting rights in Edo state. Even though the Edo people have the right to vote for the president, therefore, what matters to him is to ensure that APC members in Edo state in the direct primaries, participate in the free and fair primaries,” he said.
“That is the decision of the president. There have been rumours in the air that there is probably zoning to one area or zoning to another area.
“The president said that as far as he is concerned, he is committed only to free and fair primaries not based on zoning because you don’t do zoning on the eve of the primary.
“If there’s going to be zoning, those involved in the decision will have to be so comprehensive that the people of the state understand it. And number two, if you have zoning, you will not allow people who are not from the particular zone to procure forms.”
Oshiomhole said it is unfair to single out Edo state for zoning when the same was not done for the Kogi and Benue governorship tickets.
“Is it not the same APC where recently, in Kogi state, you have back-to-back somebody from one senatorial zone succeeding the other? He asked.
“Why is Edo different? In Benue state, since 1999, you’ve had only people from one part, one particular language, the Tivs that have produced governor after governor since 1999.
“Are you about to change the rules? In any case, who are you and I to dictate to Edo APC members where their candidate must come from?
“If you impose a candidate, as some of you want to suggest when you go for the election proper, are you going to tell people to vote based on your privileged elite consensus of turn-by-turn democracy?
“What I’ve committed to is that in a democracy, the majority must necessarily have their way. You can’t do it otherwise, there is no sentiment about it.
“Fairness means that the outcome is a reflection of the will of the people. Fairness is not when you allocate. This turn-buy-turn democracy kills fairness.”
“That is the decision of the president. There have been rumours in the air that there is probably zoning to one area or zoning to another area.
“The president said that as far as he is concerned, he is committed only to free and fair primaries not based on zoning because you don’t do zoning on the eve of the primary.
“If there’s going to be zoning, those involved in the decision will have to be so comprehensive that the people of the state understand it. And number two, if you have zoning, you will not allow people who are not from the particular zone to procure forms.”
Oshiomhole said it is unfair to single out Edo state for zoning when the same was not done for the Kogi and Benue governorship tickets.
“Is it not the same APC where recently, in Kogi state, you have back-to-back somebody from one senatorial zone succeeding the other? He asked.
“Why is Edo different? In Benue state, since 1999, you’ve had only people from one part, one particular language, the Tivs that have produced governor after governor since 1999.
“Are you about to change the rules? In any case, who are you and I to dictate to Edo APC members where their candidate must come from?
“If you impose a candidate, as some of you want to suggest when you go for the election proper, are you going to tell people to vote based on your privileged elite consensus of turn-by-turn democracy?
“What I’ve committed to is that in a democracy, the majority must necessarily have their way. You can’t do it otherwise, there is no sentiment about it.
“Fairness means that the outcome is a reflection of the will of the people. Fairness is not when you allocate. This turn-buy-turn democracy kills fairness.”
