A Federal High Court in Benin City, Edo State on Monday granted an order restraining the All Progressives Congress and its national chairman from conducting any primary election in Edo State ahead of the state governorship election in September, pending the determination of a suit before it.

This new development is coming after Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki stressed that only indirect primary could hold in the state in accordance with the rule gazetted in newspapers on Friday.

The new rule partly reads: “That in respect of political gatherings for the purpose of conducting primaries for any of the parties desiring to field candidates in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, gatherings of more than 20 persons may be allowed, subject to the written approval of the Governor, if such gatherings do not exceed 5,000 persons; hold in Benin City and in a single facility with a large seating capacity of not less than 10,000 persons; are provided with adequate health, safety, and sanitary facilities and are COVID-19 response compliant with social distancing policy, hand-washing and proper use of face masks fully observed.”

The APC faction loyal to Obaseki has been at loggerheads with the national leadership of the party over the choice of the mode of the primary to be adopted for the governorship election in the state.

The Edo State primary election was slated for June 22 by the Independent National Electoral Commission.