Timothy Omobude 
Dr. Washington Osifo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, has described those faulting the announcement made by Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State as myopic regarding the party governorship primary held last Saturday in the state.
Governor Uzodinma who was the Chairman of the Edo APC governorship primary held on Saturday February 17, had announced Hon. Dennis Idahosa as winner of the primary, an act that has attracted controversy and debate in the state polity, as some have argued that only the returning officer is constitutionally empowered to announce the winner of the election and not the chairman.
Addressing newsmen at the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Edo State council, on the outcome of the primary and its consequent controversy, Osifo said the same announcement being faulted by some persons was made four years ago by this same Uzodinma.
The former governorship aspirant who noted that the APC national headquarters will not accept any result announced by anyone not designated to do so, added that the “governorship primary election result has been received and accepted by the National Headquarters. It is a settled matter.”
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He added: “At the end of the election, the committee charged with the responsibility of organizing the election, led by the Chairman, HE, Hope Uzodima, Governor of IMO State announced Hon. Dennis Idahosa as the winner and flag bearer of the party in the forthcoming election.
“The argument about who has the responsibility to announce result is clearly myopic and casuistic. Only four years ago, the same Governor Hope Uzodima played exactly the same role in 2019, and no one raised any questions. Similar committees have been constituted to conduct primaries across the country where the Chairmen announced results.“
Osifo who said the governorship primary was not flawed as painted in some quarters, called on party members “to maintain sanity.”
“The exercise of Saturday, 17th February, 2023, was not so flawed as painted, and no major party has the capacity to conduct a free and fair primary election without leadership interference. That is integral to the party system, whose main focus is how to present a candidate who is well entrenched in the party and could muster the political muscle to win the election.
“My call to all persons at this moment is to let sanity prevail and let us be frank with each other. The party whose flag all of us sought to fly has the sole responsibility to nominate her flag bearer by whatever democratic mode she chooses,” he added.
