May 30, (THEWILL) -A business mogul, Dr Ifeanyichukwu Odi, on Sunday, won the Ebonyi State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial primary election, to fly the party’s flag in next year’s general election.
The Ebonyi People’s Democratic Party (PDP) primary election was conducted at the party’s state secretariat in Abakaliki.
The electoral panel Chairman, Olalekan Rotimi, who declared the results said that Odi had the highest number of valid votes to defeat other five contestants.
According to him, Odi got a total of 349 votes, while his closest rival, Mr Christian Usulor, got nine votes and Chief Chukwuma Nwazunku and Mr Augustine Nwazunku, got one vote each.
Rotimi added that Emmanuel Ezeh got one vote, while Mr Andrew Sunday got six votes.
“Therefore, I, Olalekan Rotimi having been conferred with the power to chair this panel, hereby declare Chief Ifeanyichukwu Odi, having polled the total highest number of valid votes and having met all the requirements winner of the primary election.
“The exercise was counted openly and witnessed by agents of the aspirants, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders”, Rotimi said.
Meanwhile, Odi in his acceptance speech, thanked the delegates and the party for electing him to carry the party’s flag and promised to lead PDP to victory in the 2023 governorship election in Ebonyi.
He pledged to work with every member of the party to achieve victory.
Mr Silas Onu, factional chairman of the party commended the party delegates for peaceful and orderly conduct in the exercise.
Earlier, a faction of the party loyal to Chief Tochukwu Okorie, had earlier at a news conference in Abakaliki on Sunday, announced that the primary elections in the state had been cancelled on the directive of the national leadership of the PDP.
The faction noted that the date for the primary election would be announced in due course.
Hon. Debo Ologunagba, National Publicity Secretary, had earlier said that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) approved the cancellation of all Party primaries in Ebonyi State.
“To this effect, all State House of Assembly, National Assembly and Governorship primaries of our Party in Ebonyi State are hereby cancelled. The NWC will announce new dates for the affected Party exercises in the State”, he said.
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
