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House Majority Leader Ihonvbere Loses Re-election Ticket in Owan Federal Constituency; Ex-Commissioner Ijegbia Emerges
Prof. Julius Ihonvbere lost his grip on the Owan Federal Constituency ticket to former Commissioner Andrew Ijegbia.
The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, has become the highest‑profile casualty of the All Progressives Congress primaries in Edo State, losing his return ticket for the Owan Federal Constituency in a contest that sent shockwaves through the political establishment. The veteran lawmaker, who has represented Owan East and Owan West since 2019, was comprehensively defeated by former Commissioner for Mining, Andrew Ijegbia, who polled 3,695 votes to Ihonvbere's 1,005.
The margin was brutal. Ijegbia, a relative newcomer to federal legislative politics, swept four of the five other aspirants aside with a performance that suggested the delegates were in no mood for continuity. For Ihonvbere, the loss strips him of the platform he has used to shape the legislative agenda from one of the most powerful positions in the lower chamber. His defeat is part of a broader national pattern: over 70 serving APC National Assembly members lost their return tickets in these primaries, a cull that has spared neither seniority nor title.
Ijegbia's victory was greeted with jubilation by a faction of the Owan APC that had long grumbled about Ihonvbere's grip on the constituency. The former commissioner, who served in the state executive council, campaigned on a promise of closer attention to constituency needs — a pitch that resonated with delegates who felt the Majority Leader had become more Abuja than Owan. For the APC, the result solves one problem and creates another: a fresh, popular candidate now carries the party's flag, but the exit of a sitting Majority Leader from the parliamentary stage weakens Edo's influence in the House leadership. The balance of power in Owan has shifted, and 2027 will test whether the delegates' gamble pays off.
Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the Edo APC primaries, the changing face of the National Assembly, and the political battles shaping the road to 2027.
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