The Edo South Senatorial District All Progressives Congress (APC) primary has been plunged into controversy following conflicting declarations of results by rival electoral officials. Initially, Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, a former member of the House of Representatives who represented Oredo Federal Constituency for two terms, was declared the winner. Mohammed Ajana, identified as the Chairman of the APC National Assembly Primary Elections Committee for Edo State, announced at Urhokpota Hall in Benin City that Ogbeide-Ihama polled 27,154 votes. This tally positioned him above Senator Neda Imasuen, who scored 13,580 votes, and former governorship candidate Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who garnered 6,785 votes. Ogbeide-Ihama, an engineer who began his political career two decades ago, has established a reputation for succeeding in closely contested elections since 2015, a trend that appeared to continue in this primary against two prominent political figures.

However, Monday brought fresh confusion as two parallel results emerged from the primary exercise, which was conducted across the 77 wards in the seven local government areas comprising the Edo South Senatorial District. Both Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama separately laid claim to victory. During a live broadcast, Kabiru Ajana, identified as the chairman of one faction of the electoral committee, reiterated the results declaring Ogbeide-Ihama the winner with 27,154 votes, placing Imasuen second with 13,580 votes, and Ize-Iyamu third with 6,785 votes.

In a counter-declaration that immediately ignited confusion within party ranks, another returning officer, Muhammadu Kabiru, announced a completely different outcome. Muhammadu Kabiru declared Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the elected candidate of the party, stating that he had scored the highest number of lawful votes cast. According to this second declaration, Ize-Iyamu polled 33,399 votes, while Ogbeide-Ihama allegedly scored 12,560 votes and Imasuen received 5,107 votes. The primary exercise saw a large turnout of party faithful across the district, and it was largely peaceful, although skirmishes were reported in parts of Ikpoba-Okha, Uhunmwode, and Oredo local government areas as supporters of various aspirants clashed over the conduct of the process.

These conflicting declarations have significantly heightened tension within the party. Both Ize-Iyamu and Imasuen had previously voiced criticism regarding the conduct of the primary, alleging irregularities and actions capable of undermining the credibility of the exercise. Following his declared victory by one faction, Ize-Iyamu expressed his appreciation to his supporters, stating, “I thank our supporters across Edo South for their steadfastness and commitment. This victory is for the people, and by the grace of God, we shall proceed to the general election and offer quality representation.” The dual claims of victory leave the definitive outcome of the Edo South Senatorial primary in a state of considerable dispute.