ENUGU PDP guber primaries: Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi declared winner

Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, member representing Udenu/Igboeze North Federal Constituency in the National Assembly has been declared winner of the PDP Enugu State governorship primary election held yesterday.

At the primary election held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, Ugwuanyi scored 933 votes to defeat four other aspirants including Sen Ayogu Eze and the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Chief Eugene Odo.

Another aspirant, Mr Anayo Onwuegbu, had earlier announced his withdrawal from the race and pledged his support for Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Aspirants like Chinedu Onuh and Chief Sam Onyishi boycotted the election which was monitored by the PDP Electoral Panel led by King Asara A. Asara and representatives of the INEC led by the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr Lawrence Azubuike.

Speaking after his victory early this morning, Ugwuanyi thanked the delegates for their support and confidence in him, saying: "Indeed, Enugu people have spoken and God has endorsed. The voice of the people is the voice of God''.

He then asked all aggrieved members of the party to put the past behind them and join him in moving the state forward.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) however reports that Sen. Ayogu Eze’s group conducted a parallel primary where he was declared the winner.

Sources also confirm that Eze and his supporters had stormed out of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, venue of the original primaries and headed to Filbon hotel, New haven, Enugu where they organized a parallel election and declared him winner with 603 votes, before going ahead to circulate the results on social media even before counting commenced at the original venue.

LEADERSHIP reported that Dr. Sam Maduka Onyishi, and Professor Onyeke Onyeke held their own primaries at different locations in the state capital, claiming that the delegates list submitted by the party was fake.

Reactions have however started to pour in following Ugwuanyi’s victory. NAN quotes  the coordinator of the Total Mandate Group, Abuja Chapter, Mr JohnKennedy Chime, as saying that Ugwuanyi’s candidacy was a "confirmed victory ticket’’ for the PDP in Enugu state.

He said: "Ugwuanyi is a unifying factor, experienced and very focused to drive development in the state to a higher level,’’

Several other groups, trade unions and organizations including the Enugu State Youth Agenda, had before the elections rallied support for Ugwuanyi’s candidature, asking the delegates to act according to what they wished for the state.