The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday accepted the result declared by members of the special five-man committee which monitored the Anambra State governorship primaries.
The committee was led by Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State.
The party upheld the result declared by Shema that Hon. Tony Nwoye won the party’s primaries conducted last Saturday.
PDP, which accepted the report, said its candidate in the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State is Tony Nwoye, who scored 498 out of the 916 votes cast by delegates at the primaries.
On Saturday, two parallel congresses of the PDP were held in Anambra State, where two candidates – Nwoye and Senator Andy Uba – emerged respectively.
The ruling party, which officially declared and recognised Nwoye as the candidate and winner of the exercise, pointed out that Ubah did not present himself for the election.
Shema, while presenting the report to the PDP national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) on Monday, said though Uba was present during stakeholders meeting with all the aspirants before the election, he was, however, absent at the venue of the primaries.
Asked why the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was absent at the primaries, Shema stated that the Commission was duly informed of the primaries, but did not explain why it was not represented.
He said: “I think it is only INEC that could explain why they were not at the congress,” adding that the committee also informed the Resident Electoral Commissioner.
Shema said that the congress was conducted in line with the constitution of the party and the Electoral Act, adding: “We proceeded to the venue of the congress and in line with our party’s constitution and the Electoral Act, all aspirants listed came, except Senator Andy Ubah who was absent at the congress.”
He explained that the number of delegates accredited stood at 902 and 14 statutory delegates, adding that the total number of delegates for that election stood at 916.
The results as pronounced by Shema are Tony Nwoye 498 votes, Nicolas Ukachukwu 357, Dr. Alex 13, Walter Okeke 10, Josephine Anenih six and Emmanuel Anosike one.
Receiving the report of the committee, Tukur said: “Tell the whole world, Tony Nwoye is our man for Anambra, tell the world, PDP is the party of the people and has conducted free and fair primaries.
“We have no anointed member of our party in winning any election, what we are saying is come, present yourself, the people have spoken. This activity has given us hope and vindicated our stand as managers of PDP, that every member will be treated free, fair and transparent, democracy is the will of the people.”
It will be recalled that Uba and INEC were at the primaries conducted by Chief Ejike Oguebego, factional chairman of PDP in Anambra State.
The national headquarters of the party recognises Ken Emeakayi as the state chairman and his faction conducted the primaries which the Shema committee observed.
