Ngige wins Anambra APC ticket in direct primaries

Senator Chris Ngige yesterday won the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket.
He defeated his opponent, Godwin Ezeemo, in all the 21 council areas.

According to the result declared by the governorship election primaries returning officer, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, a former governor of Kano State, Ngige won 63,255 votes to Ezeemo’s 9,564 votes.


A breakdown of the result is as follows: Awka North – Ngige 3,405, Ezeemo 248; Dunukofia – Ngige 2,426, Ezeemo 76; Ekwusigo – Ngige 1,085, Ezeemo 297; Ogbaru – Ngige 3,086, Ezeemo 772; Ihiala – Ngige 6,938, Ezeemo 1,089; Orumba North – Ngige 2,451, Ezeemo 413; Orumba South – Ngige 3,865, Ezeemo 423; Oyi – Ngige 2,108, Ezeemo 252; Onitsha South – Ngige 1,478, Ezeemo 127; Onitsha north – Ngige 4,878, Ezeemo 162.

The APC said the primaries were held to bring democracy down to the grassroots.

Shekarau and other committee members, former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and Senator Osita Izunaso, spoke at the Finotel Hotel, Awka.

The committee told reporters that the primaries were held in the 326 wards using the direct voting process.
The accreditation of members began at 9:30am while voting commenced at noon and ended at about 3:30pm
At Alor, Senator Ngige’s ward, the process was orderly
Voters queued behind the pictures of the contestants. Ngige scored 674 votes in his ward to Ezeemo’s one vote.

Also, at the Umuchu ward one in Aguata council area — Ezeemo’s ward— Ngige scored 89 votes, while Ezeemo scored 354 votes.

But the philanthropist disputed the election process.

Some of the members of the party were not allowed to vote in Umuchu Ward One as some of them were discovered to have cards bearing different local government areas.

Ngige described the poll as wonderful, adding that the turn-out of People showed the true picture of what would happen during the November 16 governorship election.

He said: “This is no fight. Ezeemo is my brother, we cannot fight, November 16 is the only D-day. We are brothers, there is no need for us to quarrel over the contest, and November 16 will be a landmark day in Anambra State”

Shekarau said the process was chosen by the APC to test the popularity of the two aspirants.

“We are not like other political parties where they fight to select their candidates. What the APC is doing is showing the way for others to follow; ours is not a do or die affair. APC does everything in an open and democratic process”.