Cousins of Senator Adams Oshiomhole and former Deputy Governor Lucky Imasuen have emerged as APC chairmanship candidates for the July 11, 2026, local government elections in Edo State. Romeo Omoike, maternal nephew of Oshiomhole, won the ticket for Etsako West Local Government, polling 2,960 votes. Eriamatoe Christopher, a maternal cousin of Imasuen, emerged for Ovia North-East Local Government with 3,410 votes. Both were elected during the party's direct primary held across all 18 local governments and 192 wards on Friday, April 3, 2026.
Sunday Akiotu Ekpeson, former Private Assistant to State APC Chairman Jarret Tenebe, was re-elected as candidate for Etsako East, securing 2,209 votes. He is the incumbent chairman of the local government. A total of seven sitting chairmen were re-elected, including Sino Eric Osawaru, Osaro Osa Eribo and Gabriel Iduseri. Eleven others, including Alabi Bliss Oshionogue and Marvellous Zibiri, lost their bids.
Abdullahi Bello, APC National Secretariat official and Kogi State Commissioner for Local Government, described the primary as peaceful and orderly. Jarret Tenebe, Edo State APC Chairman, urged candidates to treat the ticket as a call to duty. He said the party's internal democracy had strengthened unity and that the appeal committee was already reviewing complaints.
Political lineage and proximity to power remain decisive in Edo APC's local elections. The emergence of Oshiomhole's nephew, Imasuen's cousin, and Tenebe's former aide suggests loyalty to party bigwigs often trumps grassroots appeal. For ordinary APC members in Edo, the path to power still runs through family trees and aideships, not just competence. This pattern reinforces dynastic tendencies in the party's local structure.
