Edo South 2027: Ihama Faces Backlash Over Alleged presentation of “Unauthenticated Primary Result” Before Oba Of Benin

From Moshood Karim

The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress in Edo State deepens following the alleged presentation of disputed Edo South Senatorial primary election results by APC aspirant, Ogbeide-Ihama, before the palace of the revered Oba of Benin, Ewuare II.

The development has triggered outrage among party stakeholders and political observers, who described the move as premature, misleading and disrespectful to the sanctity of the Benin monarchy, especially as the APC National Working Committee is yet to officially authenticate or announce any winner of the disputed senatorial primary.

They argued that the Edo South APC primary remains unresolved and deeply controversial, with separate camps laying claim to victory after the chaotic exercise.

Despite the absence of any formal pronouncement from the party’s National Working Committee, Ogbeide Ihama allegedly proceeded to the palace to present what many party members described as unauthenticated election results that has neither been validated nor recognised by the APC leadership in Abuja.

Constituents said that until the National Working Committee officially ratifies and announces the authentic candidate, no result currently circulating within the public domain can be regarded as valid.

Many within the party have therefore questioned the rationale behind dragging the revered Benin Palace into a political dispute that remains unsettled.

For several Benin indigenes and concerned APC members, the action amounts to an attempt to create a false impression that the party leadership had already settled the controversy in Ihama’s favour and all is well.

“What is the hurry when the NWC has not spoken? Why drag the palace into unnecessary political controversy?” a concerned party stakeholder queried.

The latest development has further intensified criticism surrounding the conduct of the Edo South APC primary, which many aggrieved party members have repeatedly described as a sham exercise allegedly designed to impose a preferred aspirant.

Opponents of the process argued that parading disputed results before the Oba of Benin risks politicising a revered traditional institution that should remain above partisan conflicts.

Constituents and party members are already mounting pressure on the APC national leadership to urgently clarify the authentic outcome of the exercise before the crisis spirals further out of control.

As tension continues to rise across Edo South, political observers say the credibility of the APC’s internal democratic process now hangs heavily on the ability of the National Working Committee to assert party supremacy and restore confidence among aggrieved members.

Moshood Karim writes from Benin City