Ogah wins APC parallel governorship primary in Abia

From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia

The immediate past minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Sampson Uche Ogah, has emerged the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Abia state.

Ogah won the APC governorship ticket with 141, 952 votes in a primary election conducted by a faction of the party in Abia led by Chief Iheanacho Obioma (Chomen).

The state Returning Officer, Barr. Perfect Okorie, declared Ogah winner of the primary election, which party sources claimed was done, using direct primary option.

Further results announced by Okorie showed that Prince Paul Ikonne polled 27,054 votes to place second while Chief Emeka Atuma came third with 7,429 votes,

Ikechi Emenike, who was declared winner of the governorship  primary conducted earlier in the day, came fourth with 9,446 votes in the Chomen-led faction primary; Obinna Oriaku  got 5,553 votes, while Alex Otti and Daniel Eke, got 2,414 and 1,953 respectively.

According to the State Returning Officer, the total number of votes cast was 195,801votes.

In his acceptance speech, Ogah thanked the leaders and members of the party in the state for working hard to conduct the primary election.

He said he obeyed the directive of the National Working Committee of the party that the governorship primary be conducted through direct primaries in Abia state.

Ogah, assured his supporters that he would win the governorship election in the state in 2023 with their support and good will.

While Fielding questions from journalists, Ogah, said the question of who was the authentic flag bearer of Abia APC was clear, adding he emerged through a process approved by the NWC of the party.

He said, “I’m sure you saw the letter from the National Secretariat of our party and the directive on the conduct of the primaries in Abia state.

“If our national leadership says direct primaries;  it was intended to test the popularity of candidates and not just picking people to cast votes and write results.

“You journalists know what to advise the people and the one to tell them to believe. The national says we should do direct primaries and what we just hard is a direct primary election.

“As a loyal party man, I obeyed the rules set by the national leadership of our party which says we should do direct primaries. For those who did indirect primaries, that’s their business. For me, I have done what our national leadership said we should do.”

Earlier on Thursday, High Chief Ikechi Emenike, had won the APC Governorship  primary held in Umuahia.

While balloting was ongoing in that exercise,  Chief Emeka Atuma, Prince Paul Ikonne, Mr. Obinna Oriaku and Dr. Uche Ogah arrived at the venue, seperately and had words with the Congress Committee conducting the primary.

Shortly after their consultations, Ogah, in company of Ikonne and Oriaku, complained that the National Secretariat of the party had directed that the governorship primary in Abia be conducted via direct primary, which, he said, was not what was being done at the Umuahia venue of the congress and the trio stormed out of the place.