The Abia State chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC, has denied claims that it allowed a non-member of the party to be declared the winner of its governorship primary election.

DAILY POST recalls that some top members of the party, including Mezie Chiekwe Esiaga and Ndubuisi Eme had last week, threatened that APC would suffer big defeat if the governorship ticket is not given to former Minister of State for Science and Technology, Henry Ikoh.

But reacting to matter on Monday, the Abia State chapter of the APC said that the primary election won by Eric Opah was transparent and not manipulated by the party in favour of any individual.

The Publicity Secretary of Abia APC, Uche Aguoru, who addressed the press at the party’s secretariat in Umuahia, dismissed the claims that it imposed a non-party member as its candidate.

Aguoru explained that Opah was a grounded member of the party long before the primary election period, denying allegations that he was smuggled-in through the back door.

He said Opah scored 125,977 votes to beat  the former minister, Henry Ikoh, who got only 5,905 votes.

Aguoru alleged that the members who are threatening to work against the party in the 2027 election were sponsored by an  opposition party in Abia State to embarrass the APC.

He boasted that Abia APC is united for the 2027 polls, pointing out that the Labour Party, which is the ruling party in the state, is parading two factions.

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji has expressed gratitude to the people of the state for their overwhelming support, which culminated in his re-election in the June 20 governorship poll.

Governor Oyebanji said he remains deeply appreciative of Ekitikete for standing united in giving him a renewed four-year mandate and for ensuring that the election was conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner across all the 16 local government areas of the state.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, the governor said he is indebted to the people not only for the historic re-election but also for setting what he described as a benchmark for peaceful elections in the country.

The governor noted that Saturday’s election was peaceful because of the exemplary conduct of the people before, during, and after the electioneering period, which lasted about three months. He added that commendation must go to leaders and stakeholders across all segments of society for their roles in sustaining peace.

Governor Oyebanji also invited the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and African Democratic Party, ADC, Dr Wole Oluyede and Ambassador Dare Bejide, respectively, to join hands with him in the task of building a more prosperous Ekiti State.

Parts of the statement read, “ I owe all Ekiti sons and daughters, at home and in the diaspora, a debt of gratitude for their overwhelming support and for the fresh mandate to serve for another four years. This is truly humbling, and I do not take the trust for granted.

“Very importantly, I thank Ekitikete for their deliberate commitment to ensuring a peaceful election, devoid of violence or bloodshed, thereby setting a new standard for electoral conduct.

“Our profound appreciation goes to our traditional rulers for promoting peace in their domains, as well as to leaders of political parties and religious bodies for preaching and exemplifying peaceful coexistence.

“We also extend our sincere gratitude to former Governors of the state—Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Chief Ayodele Fayose, Engr. Segun Oni, and Dr. Kayode Fayemi—for their support for the administration and commitment to the unity and progress of Ekiti State.

“Special thanks to serving and former members of the National and State Assemblies, members of the State Executive Council, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), and the Campaign Council led by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.

“We commend the heads and personnel of all security agencies, including the Army, Police, DSS, and other paramilitary bodies, for their professionalism and for the effective inter- agency collaboration in ensuring peace before, during, and after the election.

“We are equally grateful to members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), for their dedication and magnanimity in victory, as well as to leaders of labour unions, workers, teachers, local government employees, the media, youth and students’ bodies, artisans, market women, transport unions, and commercial motorcyclists.”

Governor Oyebanji also noted the significant improvement in the conduct of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, describing it as a marked advancement over previous exercises in the state. He attributed this to the dedication of INEC staff and the impact of the new Electoral Act signed into law by President Bola AmTinubu.

The governor reiterated his commitment to working harder and more efficiently to deliver greater dividends of democracy in his second term. He also expressed gratitude to God for the successes recorded by his administration over the past three years and eight months.

Director of News and Political Editor at Arise Television, Sumner Sambo, says the opposition political parties need to show capacity ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Sambo made this statement on Monday when he appeared as a guest in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’.

He was speaking on the recently concluded Ekiti State governorship election, where the incumbent governor, Abiodun Oyebanji, was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

According to him, the elections have shown that opposition political parties have to put in the work, stressing that they need to show capacity.

“Judging from the political angle of the election in Ekiti, the opposition didn’t give a very good performance.

“We need to question the facts coming out of the election. What exactly was the opposition doing to the extent that results coming out do not reflect what happened in the 2018 and 2022 elections, which were very much intense,” he asked.