Mr Oshiomhole spoke to journalists after the meeting on Wednesday and said he had the permission of the president to speak on his behalf.

The former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Wednesday, met with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja after which he announced that he and the president agreed that the governorship ticket of the party would not be zoned to any senatorial district in the state.

Mr Oshiomhole spoke to journalists after the meeting on Wednesday and said he had the permission of the president to speak on his behalf.

"The president has affirmed that he has no voting right in Edo State even though Edo have the right to vote for the president and therefore, what matters to him is to ensure that APC members in Edo State, in direct primaries, participate in a free and fair primaries. That is the decision of the president.

"There have been rumours in the air that there is probably zoning to one area or the other but the President said as far as he is concerned, he is committed only to free and fair primaries; not based on zoning because you don't do zoning on the eve of a primary election."

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the APC is yet to select its candidate for the governorship election coming up in Edo. An earlier primary the party conducted for its 12 aspirants was declared inconclusive with some of the aspirants blaming Mr Oshiomhole for the crisis.

Details later...