Independent National Electoral Commission has recognised candidates produced by the Dan Orbih faction of the Peoples Democratic Party for the forthcoming 2023 elections.
Edo State chapter of the PDP has been engulfed in supremacy battle between Governor Obaseki’s faction and the faction led by the party’s National Vice Chairman (South South), Dan Orbih, resulting in the conduct of parallel primaries in May this year.
The parallel primaries resulted in litigations and a high court ruling recognised those produced by Orbih’s faction primaries.
But the Obaseki-led camp has appealed the judgement at the Court of Appeal.
State PDP Chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, had in August presented certificates of return to those that emerged winner from the primaries conducted by the governor’s faction.
INEC office in Benin has already pasted a comprehensive list on its notice board and all the PDP candidates on the list were the winners who emerged from the primaries conducted by the Orbih faction.
It was also observed that the pasted list read court order.
The state PDP Chairman, Aziegbemi, in his response, said there was no issue about the list as the candidates are still in court.
He said, “They are still in court up to the Supreme Court. So INEC is obeying the first court order which they (Orbih’s faction) got, which is fine. So we are awaiting the case to progress to logical conclusion before we know exactly where we stand.
“But as we speak, we are one PDP, we are good and there is nothing to be agitated about. The electoral process allowed for litigation and until the conclusion of that option that is available to every body, there is nothing to be agitated about
“We should not forget we are one PDP and one big family, so we should all wait until the highest court in the land gives the final verdict.”
The state PDP Secretary, Hillary Otsu, said the list released by INEC is the state’s authentic list.
“Yes, that is the authentic list and that is the candidates of the party’s primaries monitored by INEC and we don’t have any objection to it,” he said.