Lucky Obukohwo, reporting
Some few months ago, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) conducted primary elections for aspirants vying for various political positions, including the house of assembly and national assembly election amid a supremacy battle in the state.
The election supposedly didn’t go down well from observations across the state, particularly the processes that led to the emergence of the various candidates across the 24 legislative seats, nine constituencies of the house of representatives, and three senatorial districts for the general elections scheduled to hold this month, February and March.
Residents in the state earlier anticipated a calm atmosphere devoid of dissenting voices because PDP is the governing party in Edo, but their hopes were dashed as there were parallel primary elections held across the 18 local government areas and senatorial districts of the state according to bystanders who blamed the crisis on the governor’s desire to ensure that only those loyal to him are elected to represent the party he had joined barely two years earlier.
The outcomes of the elections may not also be unconnected to the controversies that surrounded the emergence of delegates for the primary elections which was occasioned by the internal squabbles between Governor Godwin Obaseki and Chief Dan Orbih, the South-South national vice chairman of the party.
The differences between the two political gladiators led to two contrary dates for the primary election. While Tony Aziegbemi, the state chairman of the party, insisted that the election will go ahead in line with the dates he announced, in line with what the governor wanted, however, new dates surfaced on the eve of the election that the primary will no longer hold as scheduled and had been shifted to Tuesday, May 24.
However, on the day of the election, both factions, now referred to as the “old PDP” and “new PDP,” simultaneously participated in the election, which commenced on Sunday, May 22, 2022, at different locations.
It was observed at different locations of the primary elections, especially locations where those who participated in the governor’s camp, that there was heavy security presence, including the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Edo State vigilante network, and officials of the Edo State Public Works Volunteers.
Speaking after the election was concluded in Egor Local Government Area, one of the venues for the house of assembly elections, Â Andrew Emwanta, the then Edo State commissioner for communications and orientation, told newsmen that their venues were designated for the election and that was why the DSS and other security agencies were present. But he was not able to confirm if the Independent National Electoral Commission were at their faction’s locations to monitor their processes as enshrined in the electoral act.
Whereas the Chief Dan Orbih-led faction confirmed that they had the full complement of the INEC officials present at all their venues which according to Ambassador Tony Okonigene, one of the spokesmen in the Orbih camp authenticated their exercise as the right one in the face of the law.
According to Okonigene when asked about primary holding by another faction “I don’t think the parallel election is true because we are all here, and the primaries have taken place. This is where INEC came to, and the process was free, fair, and credible.
“The role of the INEC is to supervise, and the electoral officer, who was designated to come to monitor the election, was here earlier but left to take lunch. From his own assessment, he was very satisfied with the conduct of the election, and the results will be forwarded to INEC for their own records.
But Ewanta, while claiming the authenticity of their primary said: “The good thing about our election is that all party delegates were here. The party took a decision that ad-hoc delegates would be the ones to elect the house of assembly candidates and others. To that extent, it is the recognised ad hoc delegates list that they sent from Abuja that was used. The 30 ad-hoc delegates and one national delegate, who was democratically elected, were here. At the end of the process, it was transparent.
After the primary election for the House of Assembly, representatives, and Senate, results began to trickle in from both camps. Legislative aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who were loyal to both governor Godwin Obaseki, and Chief Dan Orbih laid claim to the tickets for the various seats.
Truth Live News gathered that some of them who claimed to be elected were the incumbent house of assembly members, serving commissioners and supporters. They include but are not limited to  Aisosa Amadasun and Uyi Omosigho, for Oredo West and Oredo East state constituencies, respectively. While Sunny Aguebor claimed won the ticket for the Oredo federal constituency.
In Edo Central, in the Obaseki camp, Marcus Onobun, Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, clinched the ticket for Esan West/Esan Central/Igueben Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. While Hon Felix Akhabue, aka JOFEL picked the ticket for the same constituency.
Similarly, in Edo central senate, while former works minister Dr. Mike Onolememen won the ticket the incumbent senator, Engr. Clifford Odia who is on the side of the governor is laying claim to the same ticket for a third-term ambition.
In addition, Otse Momoh-Omorogbe, Edo State commissioner for budget and economic planning, emerged the party’s candidate for  Etsako West constituency I. While Jimoh Ijegbai, deputy chief of staff to Edo State deputy governor, won the seat for Owan federal constituency.
The situation was not different from the senatorial election that was held the next day except for Matthew Urhoghide, a two-time senator, representing Edo South senatorial district in the national assembly, who lost his re-election bid to Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, the former house of assembly member and Ex-NDDC commissioner, Edo State. While the Orbih faction is having Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama as their candidate for the seat.
Simultaneously, in Orbih’s camp, candidates also emerged as standard-bearers for the same positions, making it two candidates each contesting for a position within the same party.
In a related development, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, once upon a time, stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising or accepting ad hoc delegates produced by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State.
The presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, declared that only ad hoc delegates provided by Dan Orbih’s faction of the party were authentic and must be recognised. This judgment for many political watchers settles everything about who the authentic candidates are.
Delivering judgment in a suit, marked FHC/Abj/ CS/598/2022, which was instituted by 581 delegates through their five representatives, who were elected on April 30, Justice Ekwo said that the PDP and other defendants in the suit were bound by Section 84 (5) of the Electoral Act 2022 as well as Section 15 of the PDP Constitution relating to delegates’ elections.
The court further held that the role of INEC in the primary election, congress, and convention monitoring are statutory and constitutional and must, therefore, be strictly adhered to by all political parties.
Supporting that claim, Adams Aliu, a Benin-based constitutional lawyer, said that the constitution is clear that INEC is the arbiter of primary elections, and if they don’t witness any primaries or general elections, it is null and void.
“In Edo, there were two parallel elections as it were. The Electoral Act 2022 is clear that INEC will have to monitor the elections before the election is regarded as valid because they are the regulatory body.
“The court will use the constitutional provision and electoral act to decide.
The matter is in court and it will be premature and judgemental to say who is right. The court process is a civilised way of doing things if you think your rights have been trespassed on,” Aliu said.
The legal practitioner said the court is the last hope of the common man and anybody who is dissatisfied with the outcomes of the electoral process should approach the court to seek redress rather than take laws into their hands.
The Dan Orbih faction is saying that the INEC officials monitored their primary while the Obaseki’s faction is also claiming the same.
Political pundits are eager to see who will laugh last among these two political gladiators as it said he that laughs last, laughs best.
Truth Live News correspondents are keeping tab with devellopemts as supporters of both factions are already sitted inside the court as they yearn to know if it is Orbih’s faction or Obaseki’s faction, that gets the decision, as the supreme court does justice to the whole issues today, Wednesday.