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Senator Oshiomhole, Other Bigwigs Secure Edo Senatorial Tickets Amidst Widespread Allegations of Imposition and Irregularities
Senator Adams Oshiomhole was among the bigwigs who secured APC senatorial tickets in Edo State, despite widespread protests over the conduct of the primaries.
The All Progressives Congress primaries in Edo State delivered a split verdict this week: the party's biggest names — led by Senator Adams Oshiomhole — held their ground, while a wave of allegations over manipulation, imposition, and outright irregularities swept through the exercise, threatening to fracture the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Oshiomhole, the former national chairman of the APC and a dominant force in Edo politics, secured the ticket to represent Edo North for a second term. In Edo Central, Senator Joseph Ikpea also emerged victorious, consolidating the grip of the established political class on the party's senatorial nominations. For these figures, the primaries were an exercise in consolidation, their structures holding firm against challengers who struggled to gain traction.
But the air around the primaries was thick with discontent. Across the state, defeated aspirants and party stakeholders voiced angry complaints about the conduct of the elections. Allegations ranged from the late arrival of materials, to the exclusion of delegates, to the outright imposition of candidates by powerful political godfathers. In Edo South, where former Rep Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama toppled incumbent Senator Neda Imasuen, the defeated senator described the entire exercise as "a sham," though he stopped short of leaving the party. Parallel collation centres sprang up in some constituencies, producing rival winners and deepening the sense of chaos.
Party insiders warn that the fallout from these primaries could have consequences beyond the immediate disputes. "We are creating wounds that will not heal by 2027," one APC chieftain in Edo Central told Unuevbo TV, speaking on condition of anonymity. "When you impose candidates and rig primaries, you do not build a party — you build a time bomb." The worry is that disaffected members may drift towards opposition platforms like the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), which has been actively courting aggrieved APC and PDP politicians. Senator Imasuen, for his part, noted the contrast between the relatively orderly consensus arrangements in Edo North and Central and the chaotic scenes in his own district, suggesting the problem was not uniform across the state.
For now, the bigwigs have their tickets. Oshiomhole, Ikpea, and their allies will lead the APC into the 2027 senatorial contest with the weight of incumbency and party machinery behind them. But the allegations they leave in their wake — and the embittered rivals they leave behind — may prove harder to manage than any general election opponent.
Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the Edo APC primaries, the fallout from the nominations, and the 2027 election battleground.
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