Crises rocked the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Anambra state chapter, Saturday, as the parties’ governorship primaries ended in controversies.
PDP held two factional governorship primary at different venues in Awka, with Mr Valentine Ozigbo and Senator Ugochukwu Uba, emerging candidates respectively.
Ozigbo garnered 62 votes out of 200 valid votes cast in an election organised by the PDP National Executive or faction loyal to the dissolved Ndubuisi Nwobu using super delegates lists. Senator Uba, elder brother to Chris Uba, gathered 275 votes to defeat other aspirants in his brother’s faction led by Chukwudi Umeaba.
The head of the electoral panel that conducted the election where Ozigbo emerged victorious, Philip Shaibu, who is the deputy governor of Edo state, revealed that Obiora Okonkwo scord 58 votes while Senator Uche Ekwunife polled 44 votes.
Others are Winston Udeh, 12; Godwin Maduka 5 votes, Chris Azugbogu 10 votes, Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe 2 votes, Walter Okeke two votes, and Mrs Ekwochi Genevieve one vote.
Blueprint reports that of the 16 aspirants who obtained the PDP nomination and declaration of interest forms, 12 aspirants were present at the venue and participated in the voting process.
However, only four aspirants including Mr Godwin Ezeemo were present at the venue of Chris Uba’s PDP faction.
Meanwhile, 11 governorship aspirants of APC, including Chief George Moghalu, Chief Maxwell Okoye, Rev. Godwin Okonkwo, Chief Ben Etiaba, Chief Johnbosco Onunkwo, and Chief Azuka Okwuosa, called for the cancellation of the party’s primary which held on Saturday.
Moghalu, while addressing the newsmen on behalf of others, alleged that the primary poll never held, even as he described it as fraud, and urged the electoral committee chaired by governor Dapo Abiodun, to cancel the process with immediate effect.
“I thank God, you Journalists were in my hometown, where you saw things for yourself. I have been there in Uruagu ward 1 for the past two hours waiting to cast my vote, but I could not find any voting materials here and other wards across Nnewi North/South council areas.
“I learnt that some people are writing the result somewhere, which did not conform with the free, fair and transparncy the panel promised. The voting materials that suppose to have been distributed to all the 326 wards in the state as early as 8am according to the election Committee guideline, arrived at about 6:45pm this evening,” he said.
