Enugu: Sen. Ayogu Eze to battle Gov. Ugwuanyi in 2019
By Ifeoma Odo
Sen. Ayogu Eze on Friday emerged the governorship flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, in a keenly contested primary.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Eze will now slug it out with the incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in the 2019 general election.
Announcing the result in Enugu, the Chairman of the Election Committee, Prof. Moses Momoh said that of the 66,122 votes cast in the direct primary, Eze scored 53, 967 votes to defeat four other contestants.
He gave a breakdown of the votes as follows: George Ogara- 293, Benjamin Eche- 840, Augustin Akubue- 181 and Ifeanyi Nwoga- 9,821.
In the National Assembly result announced by the committee, Mrs Juliet Ibekaku, Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Justice Reform, clinched the Enugu West senatorial ticket.
Ibekaku defeated Chief Osita Okechukwu, the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) and Chief Nweke Gbazuagu, while former Enugu Speaker, Eugene Odo got the Enugu North ticket, and Mr Uchenna Ezemba won that of Enugu East.
In the House of Representatives category, a journalist of the African Independent Television (AIT), VinMartin Ilo got the ticket for Aninri/Awgu/Oji River federal constituency, while Joe Mamel, a former Commissioner for Culture got Udi/Ezeagu.
Other winners are Mrs Kate Nnamani for Enugu East/Isi Uzo, Tony Nwafor for Nkanu East/NkanuWest, Ikechukwu Ugwuegede for Nsukka/Igbo-Eze South and Jonathan Chukwuma secured the ticket for Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani.
Mr Barth Ugwuoke was declared winner for Igbo-Eze North/Udenu federal constituency while Nelson Maduka won the Enugu-North/Enugu South ticket during the primary.
Meanwhile, the VON DG flayed the result describing it as a `grand conspiracy’.
Okechukwu, who spoke through Director of his campaign organisation, Mr Ben Onwusi, said it was an outcome of a grand conspiracy by those who never meant well for the progress of the party in the state.
“I want to say it clearly here that result sheets did not go to the wards at all in line with the committee’s directive.
“The ward chairmen, secretaries and women leaders in all the five council areas in Enugu West district conducted the election, wrote the result and signed. We have it here but what you just read to us here is very strange.
“What happened is a conspiracy by people who call themselves leaders of the party. They want to kill this party in this state. We call ourselves progressives but there is nothing progressive in what has just happened,” he lamented.
The VON-DG said that in spite of what had happened, he would continue to give total support for President Buhari as well as the party, stressing that “I will pursue this in a civil and legal manner.”
