Abia Speaker wins PDP’s ticket for House of Reps

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday conducted primary elections to elect candidates for the House of Representatives and state assembly.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the exercise, which took place under stiff security, was rancour-free in the areas monitored.

It, however, took place several hours behind schedule in many centres.

In Umuahia south, it was scheduled to begin by 9:00am but could not start until about 2:45pm.

For South Federal Consituency, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr Chinedum Orji, emerged winner.

Orji pulled 86 votes to defeat five other contestants and his closest rival, Mr Obi Aguocha, scored eight votes.

Chidebere Nwachukwu, John Nwadinobi, John Ndubuisi and Kelechi Onuzuruike pulled two, two, one and nil, respectively.

The Election Committee Chairman, Mr Tony Mezie, said that 99 delegates took part in the exercise.

For the house of assembly polls, a cleric, Mr Ugochukwu Uchegbu, won the ticket for Umuahia Central State Constituency.

Uchegbu defeated eight other contestants in a three ad-hoc delegates per ward election that had 10 delegates.

In a post-election speech, a visibly elated Uchegbu thanked God for his emergence and hailed the entire process as “peaceful and most transparent. This is just a step. It is a motivation.There is no vanguished.”

“My co-contestants have congratulated me and I urge them to support me as we move on,” he said.

One of the contestants, Chief Jude Ndukwe, however, expressed concern over the party’s adoption of three ad-hoc delegates for the indirect primaries.