Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, former member of the Edo State House of Assembly, has won the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship Primary conducted by the Ali Modu-Sheriff-led faction of the party on Wednesday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin.

Earlier in the day, the Police had cordoned off the entrance to the stadium apparently to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

Chris Eziken, the Edo State Police Commissioner had said he wasn’t certain if the primary election would go on as scheduled.

“I am not INEC. It is too early to find out if the primary will hold or not. You can call me back in the afternoon to find out,” Eziken had said.

But it appeared the police later allowed the party members entrance into the venue; which could be the reason voting started around 4:25 in the evening.

Iduoriyekemwen contested against Johnson Agbonayima, himself a lawmaker representing Egor and Ikpoba-Okha constituency in the House of Representatives.

Ahmed Gulak, chairman of the electoral committee declared Iduoriyekemwen winner with a total of 481 votes after his opponent Agbonayima had voluntarily stepped down.

There was no representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to observe or monitor the exercise.

Gulak expressed optimism that Iduoriyekemwen would be returned elected after the September Governorship election in the state.

Cairo Ojugbo, newly appointed national vice chairman of the Modu-Sheriff faction of the PDP, reiterated that Modu-Sheriff remained the authentic national chairman of the party, describing the exercise as the only authentic governorship primary of the PDP in Edo State.

Ojugbo said the rumours making the rounds that Modu-Sheriff was gunning for the 2019 presidential ticket of the PDP were false. He urged the Ahmed Makarfi-led faction to return under the Sheriff-led executive in order to move the party forward.