Another governorship candidate has emerged from the Labour Party (LP) in Edo State.
Hilton Idahosa, a United Kingdom-based legal practitioner, has declared self as winner of the primary election conducted by the Lamidi Apapa faction of the party.
By this latest development, Mr Idahosa became the third candidate to emerge from the primaries election conducted by two factional groups of the party.
A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata, had emerged as the winner of the LP governorship primary election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission recognised Abure led National Working Committe of the party.
Few hours after Akpata’s emergence, the factional chairman of the party, Lamidi Apapa announced the conduct of a parallel governorship primary and named Anderson Asemote as the Edo LP governorship candidate and Monday Mawah as his running mate.
But in a dramatic twist on Sunday, Mr Idahosa announced himself as the LP governorship candidate produced by the Apapa faction, saying that the election in which he emerged the winner was conducted by the party state officials.
He said, “The primary election which was earlier slated for Thursday, February 21, 2024, was shifted to Saturday, February 24, to allow for exigencies. There was no primary election conducted on Thursday, February 22, as purported in the said letter from Apapa to INEC.
“The election in which I emerged as a candidate was conducted by the Labour Party state officials at the factional secretariat of the party on First East Circular Road, Benin City
“The said letter was the handiwork of mischief makers who were bent on causing disaffection within the ranks of the party. I have the backing of the state leaders and the party members, as well as that of Apapa and his team.
“The true position will be made known in the coming days as my team is in dialogue with both the Apapa team and leaders of the party in the state.”
