Edo 2024: Our primary election a sham, says NNPP Ex Gubernatorial Aspirant, Okoeguale
By Elvis Omoregie
Peter Okoeguale, a former aspirant of the New Nigerian People’s Party ( NNPP) has criticized the process that produced Past Azheme Azena as the party’s flagged bearer for the 2024 Edo State Governorship election.
Okoeguale, at a press conference at the NUJ Press Centre, in Benin City, claimed that the delegates from Edo South Senatorial District were disenfranchised because they would have voted for him. He also alleged that Pastor Azheme Azena replaced the names of the original delegates with his church members and called for outright cancellation or he should be declared the winner.
“I was surprised because the Committee that were invited from Abuja to oversee the exercise gave me their words that they were going to ensure that the chairmen of the Local Government Councils were the one that will identify their members.
He said the exercise was going fine until when they said that it is going to amount to over voting, I was very surprised.
“I asked what is over voting when we are sure of our members from ward to ward and from local government to local government.
“They started from Edo North, but when they got to Edo Central. I was surprised that they were reducing my votes. I got them on camera, at a time the chairman of the Committee tried to stop the exercise, the light was going off and on because they were trying to do some manipulations”.
” I was already leading because the number of delegates was supposed to be 560, but at the end of the day only 360 delegates voted”.
“The names of other delegates were not on the list. I want to say that I am aggrieved now. It is either they declare me a winner or they should cancel the results from Edo South and have a rerun.” He said.
Recall that Pastor Azemhe Azena,of the Omega Fire Ministries emerged the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, candidate for the Edo State September 21, 2024 governorship election on Friday
Azemhe polled a total of 211 votes to defeat Sebastian Iyere 25 votes, Balogun Engealeyeme Sunday 17 votes and Peter Okoeguale 100 votes in the primaries.
He, last month resigned from the Labour Party over alleged ill-treatment against him and his supporters by the Akoko-Edo Local Government chairman of the party during his campaign team’s visit to the locality.
Reacting through the telephone, Pastor Azemhe Azena, said he was not the person sent from the national to conduct the election in Benin City.
“The Committee they sent to come and conduct the election had a list sent to them from Abuja and it was like a judgement day, whosoever name was not found in the book of life was not allowed to vote , funny enough,he said I brought my church people to come and vote. If I have done that,I would have given him a gap. And a gap that he would not have recovered from. Why? Ikpoba Okha is where my church is.
“The names of my people were not part of the list from Abuja. I never had a list from Ikpoba Okha. I bought 500 delegate forms and none of their names came out. In Egor, none of my list came out from the list they brought from Abuja. In Oredo, only 3 people are my delegates from the list they brought from Abuja.
“Most of those from Edo South were not around,when they call their names, they will not be around. So that is what happened. When the names are called,you will not see their names in the register”. He said.
