By DADA AYOkHAI
Edo Governor Monday Okpebholo has held a stakeholders meeting in Abuja where the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmanship candidates for the LGAs across the states were selected by consensus ahead of the April 3rd party primaries.
Under the consensus arrangement, Edo APC will print one nomination form for each chairmanship position.
In Etsako West, Romeo Omoike from Uzairue clan was given the party ticket, while his opponent from Auchi, Abubakar Igbei, who was arranged to met with the governor in Abuja, was told his fate and urged not to rock the boat in lieu of juicy offer coming his way, it was learnt
To demonstrate all is well, the duo of Omoike and Igbei were also pre arranged to meet at the Auchi residence of the Chief of Staff to the governor ,Yakubu Musa oshiorenua for a photo shots.
However, Auchi leaders had expected the APC ticket for their candidate citing an unwritten agreement by the party hierarchy in the state during the guber campaign for Governor Okpebholo to hand over the party ticket to APC candidates who lost out during the LGA elections conducted by former Godwin Obaseki administration.
Findings revealed that some of the leaders are not too happy with the current arrangement. They accused former Governor Adams Oshiomhole of nepotism, by foisting his cousin , Omoike, on the party and also supporting the concentration of power in the Uzairue axis which has state chairman of the party, along with the senatorial seat occupied by comrade Oshiomhole.
The APC leaders in Uzairue had earlier met to endorsed Omoike as sole candidate during a press conference addressed by the leader of team, Chief Bruno Oshionebo.
Romeo Omoike, a native of Ayua in Uzairue and old boy of Our Lady of Fatimah College, Auchi, is a noted APC member who has supported the party’s growth in Etsako West.
Analysts suggest Auchi may have been placated with the Chief of Staff position instead of the chairmanship slot.
