By Our Reporter
Chief Ugochukwu Uba on Saturday emerged winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) parallel primaries conducted by a faction of the party led by Chief Chukwudi Umeaba.
The primaries is for the selection of the party’s flag bearer in the Nov. 6 gubernatorial election in Anambra.
Meanwhile, while the Umeadi faction held its primaries at Paul University Complex, Awka, the faction led by Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu had its own at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka.
Umeh polled a total of 275 votes to beat his closest rival who polled 114 votes from a total of 665 votes.
In his acceptance speech, Uba thanked the party leadership, faithful and delegates for choosing him to fly the party’s flag in the Nov. 6 gubernatorial election.
He pledged to restore the lost glory of the party in the state as well as to address the leadership challenges of the state,including those of the local government system, if elected as governor.
Ikengaonline reports that the PDP primaries in the state has been rancorous leading to the withdrawal of two aspirants from the exercise.
The aspirants, Messers Emeka Etiaba and Tony Nwoye who were part of the faction conducting their primaries at Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka announced their withdrawals few hours to the beginning of the exercise.
The duo alleged that a fraudulent delegates’ list was being used for the exercise.
However, the Publicity Secretary of the party in the South-East Zone, Mr Elochukwu Okeke in a reaction described the allegation as unfounded.
Okeke said that the exercise was being conducted in compliance with the multiple legal pronouncements concerning the exercise.
“The PDP is simply obeying all the multiple legal pronouncements to ensure that those whose delegate’s status werenullified by the courts are not participating,” he said.
The zonal publicity secretary also dismissed the parallel governorship primaries that produced Uba, adding that it had no endorsement of the national leadership of the party.
Ikengaonline further reports that the five-member PDP electoral panel headed by Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue was at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre.
Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this report, the winner of the parallel exercise being conducted at the centre had yet to emerge.
