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Ogbeide‑Ihama Extends Olive Branch as Ize‑Iyamu Still Rejects APC Edo South Primary Result — Party Recognises No Parallel Declaration
Omoregie Ogbeide‑Ihama has reached out to Osagie Ize‑Iyamu after the disputed APC primary, but the parallel declaration cloud still hangs over the party.
The dust from the Edo South APC senatorial primary has not settled — but the shape of the terrain is becoming clearer. Omoregie Ogbeide‑Ihama remains the party's official flagbearer, his 27,154‑vote landslide confirmed by the returning officer and left standing by a national secretariat that has refused to validate the parallel result proclaimed by Osagie Ize‑Iyamu's camp. Yet the defeated aspirant has not blinked. Five days after the May 17 primary, Ize‑Iyamu still rejects the outcome, and the spectre of a divided party lingers over Benin City.
What has changed is the tone from the winner. On Tuesday, May 20, Ogbeide‑Ihama extended what he called a "heartfelt olive branch" to Ize‑Iyamu and to the displaced incumbent, Senator Neda Imasuen. The gesture was deliberate — a signal that the man who swept the delegates will not govern the ticket with a victor's vengeance. "We are one family in the APC," Ogbeide‑Ihama said. "The election is over. Now we must face 2027 together." Imasuen, who described the primary as "a sham" after he was allegedly disenfranchised in his own ward, has accepted his loss in principle, ruling out defection. Ize‑Iyamu has not — and his silence since the parallel declaration speaks louder than any statement.
The parallel announcement, made by Abubakar Kabiru at a separate venue, has received no official recognition from the APC's national leadership. Party sources confirm that Ogbeide‑Ihama's name has been forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the candidate, a procedural step that gives him a decisive legal advantage. The ball is now in Ize‑Iyamu's court. He can file an internal appeal, drag the party to court, or accept the reconciliation offer. For now, he has done none of the above — and the clock is ticking. The olive branch is on the table. Whether it is taken will determine whether the APC enters 2027 with a united front or a festering wound.
Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the Edo APC primaries, the unresolved disputes, and the political manoeuvres shaping the 2027 elections.
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