By Christiana Ekpa
The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Julius Ihonvbere, has lost the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Owan Federal Constituency in Edo State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ihonvbere was defeated during the APC primary election conducted on Saturday, ending his bid to secure a third term in the House of Representatives.
The contest was won by Andrew Ijegbia, a former commissioner for mining in Edo State, who polled 3,695 votes to emerge victorious.
The result was announced at the APC office in Afuze by the presiding officer for the election, Kelvin Muhammed.
According to the announced results, Ihonvbere secured 1,005 votes, finishing behind both Ijegbia and Abdul Oroh, who polled 1,740 votes.
Other aspirants in the race included Folly, who scored 505 votes, and Scot, who garnered 642 votes.
A total of 7,587 votes were reportedly cast during the primary election.
The outcome marks one of the major upsets recorded in the APC primaries as several serving lawmakers continue to battle for return tickets ahead of the 2027 polls.
