APC Primaries: Governors Who Return Unopposed

All Progressives Congress (APC) delegates from across the country yesterday elected their governorship candidates for the 2023 governorship elections.

While most of the incumbent governors were returned unopposed, other candidates emerged from primaries that were highly disputed and rejected by the opponents. There were also parallel primaries in states, where the aspirants claimed victory in the contests.

In Yobe State, delegates from the 17 local government areas affirmed Governor Mai Mala Buni as the governorship candidate of the party. Buni was the only aspirant who purchased the interest and nomination form of the party in Yobe.

The chairman Yobe State APC Election Committee Hon Umar Lawan Kareto who announced the results said a total of 890 delegates from 178 political wards of the state were accredited for the exercise.

Kareto said, “The total number of accredited delegates is 890, total vote casts is 825, valid votes are 805 while 20 votes are invalid. “Therefore, by the virtue of powers conferred on me by the party and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Hon Mai Mala Buni who scored the highest and all the total votes cast is hereby declared the winner,” he disclosed. The governor had in his acceptance speech, thanked the delegates for the affirmation and assured them he would not let them and the state down.

Also, the incumbent Governor of Gombe State Inuwa Yahaya has emerged the APC governorship candidate for the 2023 election. He picked the party’s ticket unopposed as no other aspirant bought the governorship nomination form to contest against him in the party’s primaries. According to the chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Election Committee Abdullahi Dabo, 563 delegates affirmed Inuwa as the party’s flag bearer for the next governorship election.

In Lagos State, Governor Bababjide Sanwo-Olu, has emerged the candidate of the APC to seek re-election in the 2023 governorship poll. Sanwo-Olu who was a sole contestant, emerged the candidate at the APC 2023 governorship primary, held at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, formerly, Onikan Stadium, Lagos Island.

Sanwo-Olu during the exercise polled 1,170 votes to emerge winner, with 12 void votes. Announcing the results of the election, the chairman of the Lagos State Electoral Committee, Alhaji Adamu Shettima Yuguda, said that 1,198 delegates were accredited of which 1, 225 registered delegates. Yuguda said Sanwo-Olu, incumbent Governor, scored 1,170.

A total of 735 delegates converged on the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Gusau to elect Alhaji Bello Matawalle as the APC gubernatorial ticket. The election was conducted under the watch of officials from the APC National Headquarters and INEC officials.

The leader of the APC National Committee, Babagana Tijani Banki, acknowledged the withdrawal of one Alhaji Abdul-Malik Garba Gajam, who had earlier signified his intention to contest. According to him, with the stepping of Gajab, Governor Matawalle remained the sole contestant in the APC gubernatorial primary election.

Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum who was also sole aspirant, was declared the winner of the APC governorship primaries. The primaries held at the El-Kanemi Sports Centre in Maiduguri on Thursday evening, was attended by key stakeholders of the APC, including former Governors Kashim Shettima, Ali Modu Sheriff, and Maina Ma’aji Lawan.

Minister of State for Agriculture, Mustapha Baba Shehuri, serving and former National and State Assembly members, Nigerian Ambassador to China, Baba Ahmed Jidda, and many others who graced the occasion.

Uba Maigari Ahmadu, the chairman of the APC Governorship and House of Assembly Primaries for Borno State, announced that Zulum won with 1,411 votes by delegates. He said 1,560 voters were registered for the primaries, while 1,422 voters were accredited, out of which 1,411 votes were recorded with no record of invalid votes.

Zulum, in his acceptance speech, thanked delegates and stakeholders, saying, “I have thought deeply about these offers because becoming Vice President is considered attractive. I have thought about all the powers and privileges of being VP. I can see the honour of presiding over meetings attended by governors and ministers, and the privilege of having a presidential jet at one’s disposal. I can see the honour of presidential receptions within and outside Nigeria.” However, I have asked myself, should I get the opportunity to become VP and raise my political profile, what happens to all our ongoing work for the people of Borno State?”

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq also emerged as the candidate of the APC for next year’s election. AbdulRazaq, who was the sole APC’s gubernatorial aspirant, was returned unopposed by 965 delegates that participated in the primary election that was held in Ilorin, the state capital. After the accreditation of the delegates, voting commenced at 7.13pm.

The chairman of APC Governorship/ House of Assembly Electoral Committee for Kwara, Prof Emmanuel Dan Daura, announced AbdulRazaq as the winner of the race. He said there were 961 valid votes and four invalid votes. In his remarks, Governor AbdulRazaq thanked the APC stalwarts and members in the state for their support for his administration.

Omo-Agege, Emenike, Nnaji, Tonye Cole Pick Party Tickets As First Timers

The APC in Delta State returned the deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege as the governorship candidate of the party for next year’s election. About 1,190 delegates voted for the sole aspirant while one invalid vote was recorded.

A total of 1,235 delegates from the 25 local government areas were accredited for the election that was monitored by officials of the INEC led by the resident electoral commissioner (REC) in the state, Monday Udoh-Tom. The chairman of the electoral committee, Oyibo Nwaneri, declared Omo-Agege as the party’s candidate after the primary election conducted in Asaba, the state capital.

In Abia State, High Chief Ikechi Emenike has clinched the APC governorship ticket for the 2023 general election, beating six other aspirants by a wide margin. Announcing the result in Umuahia, the state capital yesterday, the chairman of the election committee, Hon Tony Obiefuna, said Emenike pulled 672 votes of the 907 cast.

He said the other aspirants, Dr Uche Ogah, Chief Dan Eke, Dr Alex Otti, Hon Emeka Atuma, Chief Obinna Oriaku, and Prince Paul Ikonne scored six, 16, 14, 150, 12 and 22 votes respectively. The chairman, who was assisted by four other members of the committee, said of the total 920 votes for the election, 907 were accredited, 907 cast, 892 valid and 15 invalid.

In his acceptance speech, Emenike described the victory as the beginning of a new era in the state, saying the mission of the party is to change the ugly and unpalatable narratives of the state. With the exception of Otti and Eke, the other aspirants:Diala Emeka Wogu, Sen Nkechi Nwogu, Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Hon Ben Kalu, Hon Sam Onuigbo, and Hon Chijioke Chukwu among others were present.

In Rivers State, a business mogul, Tonye Cole won the party’s governorship ticket for the 2023 general election in Rivers State. Cole garnered 986 votes to defeat other aspirants during the party’s governorship primaries that was held at the Adokiye Amasiemeka Stadium, Igwurita-Ali, Port Harcourt.

In Kaduna state, Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s preferred candidate, Senator Uba Sani, is set to emerge as the APC governorship candidate as delegates commenced casting of votes. Our correspondent who is monitoring the APC primaries in the state reports that the voting which commenced Thursday evening was going on peacefully at Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s indoor Hall at the time of filing this report.

Former member of the House of Representatives and President Muhammadu Buhari’s in-law, Sani Sha’aban, is Uba Sani’s main challenger battling for the APC governorship ticket ahead of 2023 polls. El-Rufai had recently endorsed the senator representing Kaduna Central senatorial district, Uba Sani as successor in the 2023 governorship election in the state.

The governor had in a meeting at the Kaduna State Government House with party stakeholders and his core team endorsed Sani and called on his loyalists to support the senator in the party’s primary. ENDs

Why I Boycotted APC Guber Primaries – Abe

A governorship aspirant on the platform of the APC in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, has said he boycotted the party’s governorship primaries because he believes that due processes were not followed. He said even though he will not accept the outcome of the APC governorship primaries in the state, he will definitely be on the ballot in the 2023 governorship election.

Abe, who spoke yesterday while addressing journalists at Freedom House, the headquarters of his campaign organization in Port Harcourt, the state capital. The governorship hopeful said: “I have received a lot of messages saying that I have withdrawn from the governorship race of the APC. That is not true. I have not withdrawn and I will not withdraw.

“What is being set up today is a charade. Everybody knows that in a delegate election, if you are not included in how the delegates are chosen, if the process of choosing the delegates is not inclusive, is not transparent and is not fair. The outcome of what the delegates will do cannot be any different from the process that produces them.

“Like I stated at the beginning of this whole thing when I declared, I said I will not accept the outcome of any process that is not just, fair, equitable and that is not inclusive. The indirect primaries being conducted today by the former minister of transportation and his cronies in the APC in Rivers State, clearly does not meet that standard. And for that reason, I decided not to participate, not to withdraw out of respect for the party, I want to say clearly that I will not accept the outcome nor will I be bound by it,” he said.

Mbam, Nwifuru Emerge In Ebonyi Parallel Primaries

A former chairman of Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Chief Elias Mbam and the speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon Francis Nwifuru, yesterday emerged as candidates of the APC in the parallel governorship primaries conducted in the state.

They were conducted at different venues within the Abakaliki metropolis of the state. While the primaries that saw the emergence of the former RMFAC Chairman was conducted at his campaign office along Mile 50 Layout Abakaliki, that of the speaker was conducted at the Pa Ngele Orunta Township Staduim.

Al’amin Withdraws from APC Bauchi Governorship Primary

Alhaji Muhammad Sani Al’amin, one of the governorship aspirants under the platform of the APC in Bauchi State, has stepped down from the race hours to party primary election. Sani Alamin who announced his position during a press conference in Bauchi on Thursday, said his withdrawal was to encourage more aspirants to follow suit in order to have a hitch-free primary election.

He said he would remain committed to the party and support whoever emerges as the governorship candidate, “My withdrawal is for the best interest of the party and to foster unity and purpose among the aspirants for the victory of the party at the 2023 polls.”

Benue Aspirants Jittery As Party Insists On Direct Primaries

Hundreds of supporters of APC have converged at their various council wards to vote candidates of their choice to emerge as the governorship/House of Assembly flag bearers of the Party.

Our Correspondent who visited some of the wards in Màkurdi observed that prospective voters in their numbers were waiting patiently for the arrival of voting materials. It was also gathered that some of the aspirants who were not comfortable with direct primaries were set to leave the party for other platforms.

In a separate interview with our correspondent Barnabas Aber, Alexander Nambe described the direct primaries as the best method of selecting leaders. According to them, “we have heard that some of the APC Aspirants have even gone to court to secure injunction to stop the Primaries from voting and at the same time insisting for ‘indirect primaries’ but we want to tell them that it will not work, we are very much comfortable with the Direct Method”

However, the publicity secretary of the party Dan-Morgan Ihomun  in a statement, said, “in furtherance to the directives of the National Working Committee of APC which slated Thursday for the conduct of the Governorship/House of Assembly Party Primaries, the Benue State chapter of the party has fully comply with the directives,” he said.

(leadership.ng)