Ngige emerges Anambra APC gov candidate •CPC pulls out of APC, joins PDM •Legal practitioner petitions INEC over Ngige Written by Tuesday, 03 September 2013 00:00 font size decrease font size increase font size Print Email Rate this item 1 2 3 4 5 (0 votes) раск SENATOR Chris Ngige on Monday emerged winner of the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), held in Anambra. The APC conducted the primaries in all the 326 wards in the state for the selection of the party’s candidate for the November 16 election. According to the result announced at the Emmaus House, Awka collation centre by the chairman of the primaries committee, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, Senator Ngige scored 53,255 votes to defeat Chief Godwin Ezemo who scored 9,554 votes. Shekarau commended members of the party in all the wards in the state for their peaceful conduct during and after the exercise. Anambra CPC pulls out of apc, joins PDM By Sylvanus Eze - Awka The recently registered All Progressives Congress (APC), has suffered a major setback in Anambra State following the pullout of members of the former members of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). The State Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Nwafor Okafor, said CPC members had to pull out of APC because the party lacked internal democracy. “All the members of the former CPC that was one of the parties that merged to form APC have pulled out of the marriage.” “He recalls that the parties in the merger were ACN, CPC and ANPP,” Okafor, said the former CPC members have now joined yet a newly formed political party, the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM). They said the last problem was the alleged imposition of Senator Chris Ngige on them as the governorship candidate of APC in the November 16 election without primary election by the APC leadership. Legal practitioner petitions INEC over Ngige By Sylvanus Eze - Awka A legal practitioner has written a petition against Dr Chris Ngige, for allegedly not complying with the Electoral Act, asking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to exclude Dr Ngige from contesting the governorship election as a candidate under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) The legal practitioner, Jezie Ekejiuba, who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune, on Monday, said that those who adopted Dr Ngige, did not comply with the section 87 of the Electoral Act of 2010, as amended and the APC constitution. He said that he had petitioned INEC as a registered voter and on behalf of members of APC in Anambra State who have interest in the November 16 governorship election. Ekejiuba, complained against what he viewed as the illegal adoption and imposition of Dr Ngige as the Anambra State APC governorship candidate by the party caucus said to be led by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State. He claimed that at the time of the said imposition, there was neither any existing interim state executive nor state chairman of APC, recognised by INEC, nor any congress or primary election or issuance of party nomination that had examined the contestants under the platform of APC and found Dr Ngige to be the best candidate under the Electoral Act. The barrister recalled how same Dr. Ngige was imposed on the state as the governor through what it called a rigging process in the 2003 guber election as confirmed by the Appeal Court in Enugu as well as the attendant confusion in his three-years tenure. He prayed INEC to exclude Dr Ngige, whom he described as a factional candidate of APC in the November 16 poll as a consequence of this violation of Electoral Laws. Ekejiuba warned that if the petition was treated with levity by the INEC, he would be forced to lodge it before the Federal High Court under the originating summons to seek interpretations on the already cited provisions of the Electoral Act and for consequential declaration and orders to nullify the said APC imposed candidency. However, some members of APC believe that the primary is indeed, a mere formality as the party’s top echelon had already endorsed Dr Ngige. APGA faction presents another standard-bearer By Suzy Oruya - Onitsha The All Pro-gressives Grand Alliance (APGA), on Monday, reported the emergence of Dr Chike Obidigbo, as another standard-bearer under a factional National Chairman of the party, Mazi Maxi Okwu. It will be recalled that Chief Wiilie Obiano, on August 26, emerged a standard-bearer with 817 votes under Chief Victor Umeh faction. Obidigbo, was selected at a special congress of Okwu faction by 450 delegates, during voting with the show of hands as he was a sole aspirant in the race. The Chairman of the Screening Committee, Chief Chris Eze, had earlier said that the party had come out with a well qualified candidate. Chief Sunday Obasaha, officer in charge of the exercise, had called for nomination and Mr Victor Ndu, from Ward 11, Onitsha North, nominated Obidigbo and seconded by Mr Joseph Umeze, from Ward 1, Umunya in Oyi Local Government Area. Obidigbo was returned unopposed with a score of 450 votes and was also handed the party’s flag by Okwu, who commended the delegates for the large turnout . Okwu said that Obidigbo had been elected the standard-bearer of the party and also had the confidence that he would win the governorship election on November 16. Obidigbo said that APGA was one indivisible political party. While commending Governor Peter Obi for the good job he had done to lift the state to an enviable height, he urged the party faithful, to work harder to deliver the party at the election. He assured that he would not disappoint the electorate if voted for to take over from Obi in March 2014. Ubah warns inec over multiple candidates By Sylvanus Eze - Awka THE governorship candidate in Anambra State on the platform of Labour Party (LP), Chief Ifeanyi Ubah, has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to allow the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to present two candidates during the governorship election of November 16. He was speaking to newsmen in Nnewi, last weekend where he said that it was what the party had been doing in almost all the elections in Anambra State and added, “there must be legal and constitutional implications and advised them to follow the guidelines in the electoral law.” Chief Ubah continued, “we want a free and fair election, and do not want a repeat of 2007 elections in Anambra State where PDP presented Dr Andy Ubah and Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu for the same position and after the election, the PDP combined the two votes for their credit and gave it to one of the candidate” (Dr Andy Ubah). He said that their party the Labour Party, is the only party that has not displayed disunity and faction and that the party believed that people from Anambra State and God, will give the required victory and not Abuja people, adding that the Labour Party remains without rancor. Chief Ubah, said that the PDP produced two candidates from their primaries, APGA disqualified their first eleven aspirants and injected a debilitating dose of crisis into the party. It will be recalled that Chief Ifeanyi Ubah was entangled with legal wrangling over his business deals and unverified speculation, points to Ubah’s aspiration to be its principal reason why he found himself entangled. He obtained two perpetual injunctions barring the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and the State Security Services (SSS) which his enemies used in the matter and his freedom now rests on his perpetual injunction. We have enough funds to execute devt projects —Obi By Sylvanus Eze - Awka Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, has said that the state government has enough money to complete the projects his administration was executing in all parts of the state. He said this last weekend during the inspection of the ongoing Agulu Lake Hotel Resort and the two bridges across the lake. Obi, who said that the reason for the construction of the Hotel Resort was because of its viability, said that the hotel was conceived in the 70s but remained a stillborn until it was started. While inspecting the two bridges under construction over the Lake, Obi said that it was given to two contractors to handle to ensure that they completed them within the life span of his administration and called for the cooperation of the people of the town. On the proposed shopping malls in the state, Obi said that that of Onitsha and Awka; were ongoing, while that of Nnewi would commence soon. “The mall at Onitsha and Awka are ongoing. In few days, we shall start that of Nnewi. We had planned these things and have enough money set aside for them. We shall also start the three Arms Zone, for which we also have enough money set aside,” Obi said.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 05:18:59 +0000