By Simeon OSAJIE
Disagreement has continued to trail the House of Representatives primary elections of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo, as aggrieved aspirants rejected the outcome of the exercise in some federal constituencies, alleging irregularities, manipulation and violence.
The member representing Esan West/Esan Central/Igueben Federal Constituency and former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Marcus Onobun, on Saturday rejected the result announced by the party, insisting that he emerged winner of the primary election conducted in the constituency.
Onobun, who stormed the APC state secretariat on Ikpokpan Road, GRA., Benin City to submit a petition to the party’s Primary Election Committee and Appeal Committee, alleged that the process was manipulated in favour of another aspirant, Lucky Eseigbe.
Speaking with journalists, the lawmaker described the outcome of the exercise as a sham, maintaining that party members in the constituency voted overwhelmingly in his favour during the May 16, 2026 primary election.
According to him, “I am here at the party state secretariat to submit a petition to the Primary Election Committee as well as the Appeal Committee.
“As you all know, on May 16, 2026, we had our primaries in my federal constituency and everybody came out en masse to vote for me.
“I later began to see online reports alleging that somebody else had won the election.”
Similarly, the member representing Oredo Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Esosa Iyawe, formally rejected the outcome of the APC primary election in the constituency, citing alleged widespread irregularities, inconsistencies and violence.
In a statement made available to journalists in Benin on Saturday, Iyawe said the conduct of the exercise fell short of the democratic standards and directives earlier laid down by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who, according to him, had emphasised that direct primary elections across the country must be conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.
According to the lawmaker, several of his supporters and party members were allegedly disenfranchised during the exercise, particularly in parts of Oredo West, where some of his followers were reportedly assaulted and prevented from participating freely in the process.
Iyawe expressed disappointment that certain influential individuals within the constituency allegedly resorted to intimidation and violence instead of allowing party members to exercise their democratic rights peacefully.
Despite the development, he appealed to his supporters to remain calm, law-abiding and avoid any form of retaliation, stressing that peace and unity remained paramount.
The federal lawmaker further stated that he duly participated in the screening process, submitted all necessary documents and forms, and was officially cleared by the party to contest in the primary election.
He recalled that following rumours circulated days before the election alleging that he had stepped down from the race, he immediately issued a disclaimer and formally communicated to the party leadership across Oredo that he remained fully in the contest.
Iyawe maintained that his decision to seek re-election was driven by his desire to continue providing quality representation and sustained development for the people of Oredo Federal Constituency through continuity in office.
He, however, lamented that the actions of certain interests allegedly undermined the credibility of the primary election process, expressing confidence that the national leadership of the party would investigate the issues surrounding the exercise and ensure justice was done.
The lawmaker further alleged that 10 out of the 12 wards in the constituency adopted a consensus arrangement contrary to the provisions of Section 87 of the Electoral Act, which stipulates that all aspirants must willingly withdraw before a consensus candidate can emerge.
According to him, the adoption of consensus in the affected wards disenfranchised many party members and supporters who were prepared to participate in the direct primary process, while the remaining two wards where voting eventually took place were allegedly characterised by irregular counting and inconsistencies in the collation of results.
He reiterated his commitment to democracy, fairness and the rule of law, assuring his supporters that all legitimate and constitutional steps would be taken to address the issues arising from the conduct of the primary election.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the APC House of Representatives Primary Election Committee for Edo State, Muhammed Ajana, had earlier declared winners of the primaries and presented certificates of return to successful candidates across the nine federal constituencies in the state.
Ajana described the exercise as peaceful, transparent and one of the freest and fairest primaries conducted by the party, insisting that officials were deployed directly to the various constituencies to ensure credibility in the process.
According to the committee chairman, Paddy Iyamu emerged winner for Oredo Federal Constituency, while Lucky Eseigbe was declared winner for Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency.