By Favour Goodness
Sen. Andy Uba emergence as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Anambra state November 6 governorship poll has been characterised by confusion.
The Chairman of the APC primary election panel and Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, announced the outcome of the poll early on Sunday in Awka.
Abiodun said Uba emerged the winner with 230, 201 votes while his closest rival, Johnbosco Onunkwo polled a total of 28, 746 votes.
He said 348, 490, votes were cast in the primary election.
He said the election committee adopted the open ballot mode also known as Option A4 to conduct the primary election.
The Minister of Labour and Employment who spoke to journalists on the telephone said the primary election did not hold.
He proposed June 29 for the election to hold.
Eleven aspirants out of the 14 governorship aspirants of the party had also on Saturday said the governorship primary did not hold.
The spokesperson for the aspirants, George Moghalu, stated this at a press conference in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
Moghalu said in all the 326 electoral wards of the state, delegates came out to vote, but that none of the APC team in charge of conducting the primary and the Independent National Electoral Commission officials was seen.
He said, “Anybody who claimed that there was primary is fraudulent and does not wish APC well in the November 6 election.
He appealed to the party’s leadership to come up with a fresh date for the primary to ensure that the party beat the deadline set by the Electoral Act.
Other aspirants who kicked against the conduct of the APC primary election were Johnbosco Onunkwo, Ben Etiaba, Amobi Nwaokafor, Chidozie Nwankwo, Geoffo Onyjegbu, Azuka Okwuosa, among others.
A statement by the Publicity Secretary of APC in Anambra State, Okelo Madukaife, dissociated itself from the primary election.
The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to a set of figures circulating on the internet without signature or attribution and purported to be Anambra APC primaries results.
“The figures do not owe to Anambra State APC Primaries which did not hold and for which we look forward to the Caretaker National Executive of our great party to choose a new date within INEC timetable.
“The leader of our great party in Anambra State and Minister of Labour & Employment, Sen (Dr.) Chris Nwabueze Ngige has proposed Tuesday, June 29, 2021, for the primary to hold, and we recommend that it should be considered.
“In the time being, the figures should be discarded and discountenanced as they are figments of fertile imagination, with the potential of being fatal.”
