House of Representatives Majority Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, has lost his bid to return to the National Assembly after he was defeated in the All Progressives Congress primary for Owan Federal Constituency in Edo State.
The result was announced at the APC office in Afuze by the Returning Officer, Kelvin Muhammed, who declared former Edo State Commissioner for Mining, Andrew Ijegbai, winner of the contest. Ijegbai polled 3,695 votes to defeat four other aspirants, including Ihonvbere, who came third with 1,005 votes.
According to the results, Abdul Oroh scored 1,740 votes, Barrister Stewart polled 642 votes, while Folly Ogidegbe received 505 votes. A total of 7,587 votes were cast in the primary.
“Five people contested this election,” Muhammed said while announcing the outcome. “The winner of this contest, which is the primary, is Hon. Andrew Ijegbai.”
Ihonvbere, who represents Owan Federal Constituency, was seeking another term in the Green Chamber. Reports said his ambition faced resistance over a zoning arrangement between Owan East and Owan West, under which the House of Representatives seat is expected to rotate after two terms.
In his response, Ijegbai commended the party leadership and electoral officials for what he described as a transparent process. He promised to provide effective representation for the people if elected in the 2027 general election.
In a related development, the member representing Oredo Federal Constituency, Eseosa Iyawe, also lost his re-election bid in the APC primary. He was defeated by former Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, who reportedly polled 7,088 votes.
Iyamu had resigned as Edo State Commissioner for Education in March before declaring his intention to contest the Oredo Federal Constituency seat under the APC.
The defeats of Ihonvbere and Iyawe mark major upsets in the Edo APC primaries and reflect the intensity of internal contests ahead of the 2027 National Assembly elections.
