Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Senator Chimaroke Nnamani have secured the Senatorial District primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in the state on Tuesday.
Ugwuanyi scored 299 valid votes cast to defeat three other aspirants, namely, Mr Celestine Okanya, Chief Ikechukwu Eze and Prof Godsmark Ugwu for the Enugu North Senatorial district.
However, former Governor Nnamani retained the senatorial ticket for Enugu East as he polled all the 243 votes cast at the primary election.
Meanwhile, Mr Osita Ngwu, won the PDP ticket for Enugu West Senatorial to replace Senator Ike Ekweremadu who is vying for the governorship position in the state.
Ngwu scored 177 votes to defeat a three time House of Representatives member, Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, who scored 55 votes and former Aviation Minister, Fidelia Njeze, who got three votes.
Ugwuanyi was declared winner of the peaceful election by Mr Vin Amabei, the Chairman of the PDP five-man Electoral Panel from the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP.
It was conducted by the PDP Enugu State three-man Electoral Panel led by the Returning Officer, Mr Tahill Ochi, before the voting exercise by the delegates.
The elections were monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who described it as peaceful and transparent.
In his acceptance speech, Ugwuanyi dedicated the victory to God, and went round to thank the delegates for their overwhelming support and solidarity.
Meanwhile, the serving House of Representatives’ member representing Kabba-Buni/Ijumu Federal Constituency, on Tuesday defeated Sen. Dino Melaye, in the re-run election to pick Kogi West Senatorial ticket on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The election, held on Monday, ended in a deadlock as both aspirants scored 88 votes respectively.
However, during the runoff election on Tuesday, Yusuf scored 163 votes while Dino Melaye scored 99 votes, dashing Melaye’s dream of returning to the Senate in the 10th National Assembly.
Stephen Onoji, the Returning Officer. announced the result on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists shortly after he was announced the winner, Yusuf extended the olive branch to his co- contestants, and urged them to join hands with him to win the general election.
He commended the peaceful conduct of the Primaries, and promised to continue with his good work if elected at the general election.
In his remarks, Melaye congratulated Yusuf for his victory in the rerun election, saying the primary had been fought and won.
”The primary has been fought and won. I congratulate Hon. Yusuf and thank all those who voted in the first and second ballot for me.
”The Gang up is unimaginable but I give God praise. God bless you all,” Melaye said.
Melaye, who represented the district as senator from 2015 to 2019, was defeated by the incumbent Senator Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressive Congress (APC), in a re-run senatorial election in 2019.
Adeyemi, who hails from the same Ijumu Local Government Area as Melaye, is a three-term senator in the National Assembly.
Adeyemi represented the zone from 2007 to 2015 under the platform of the PDP, but was defeated by Melaye in 2015. He later defected to APC before he (Adeyemi) clinched the seat again in 2019 after rerun election ordered by Court.
In Kogi East, Victor Adoji, won the PDP senatorial seat with a total of 177 votes, defeating Aminu Suleiman who scored 54 votes. Elder Ubolo Okpanachi scored 42 votes while Isaac Mohammed Alfa scored 20 votes.
Shaba Ibrahim also picked Lokoja/Kogi House of Representatives PDP ticket.
In the House of Assembly primaries in Kogi Central, Ovurevu Abara emerged in Adavi; Mohammed Haruna Ganaja, in Ajaokuta; while Ajanaku Tijani Umar emerged in Okene II State Constituency.
A former publicity secretary of Kogi PDP, Prince Bode Ogunmola, picked the ticket for Ogori-Magongo, while Onivehu Musa Siyaka emerged in Okehi for state assembly respectively.
