Guber poll: Tinubu not interested in zoning – Oshiomhole

 

FORMER Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on Wednesday said that President Bola Tinubu has affirmed that he is committed only to free and fair primaries not based on zoning.

Oshiomhole also kicked against the contentious zoning of the governorship slot in Edo State and queried the All Progressives Congress, APC, on its insistence in zoning in the state but looked the other way in Kogi where the kinsman of former Governor Yahaya Bello took over from him.

He maintained that it will be unfair for the APC to implement zoning in the party’s rescheduled primary for the forthcoming gubernatorial election when it did not do so in Kogi and Benue states

Oshiomhole, who is representing Edo North Senatorial District, stated this while speaking with State House correspondents after he met behind closed-doors with President Tinubu at the presidential Villa Abuja.

He said the Edo state chapter of the ruling party is not interested in “turn-by-turn democracy.”

His visit to the president came on the heels of the controversy surrounding the emergence of about three aspirants claiming to be winners in the last Saturday’s primaries

Hon. Denise Idahosa, who is said to be the candidate of Senator Oshiomhole was declared by the chairman of the primaries and governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, while two other candidates including Senator Monday Okpebholo and Sunday Dekeri also claimed victory as they accused the former governor of trying to impose Idahosa.

Edo APC stakeholders opposed to Idahosa have cited the fact that he is from the same Edo South Senatorial District as the incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki who is completing his two-term eight years tenure, advocating that power should move to a different zone. But Oshiomhole insisted that after discussing the zoning question with President Tinubu, the president expressed his commitment only to free and fair

 primary.

He said Tinubu told him that the rescheduled primary should not be based on zoning but the will of the majority of APC.

Oshiomhole contended that after allowing Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo to succeed Yahaya Bello even though they are from the same senatorial district, and also not stop the Tiv’s from dominating Benue State governorship elections, the APC cannot single out Edo State for zoning.