Ngige wins APC primary election

Date Posted: 03/09/2013

Senator Chris Ngige, yesterday emerged the winner of the Anambra State All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship primary election.
He polled 63, 285 votes to defeat his rival, Chief Godwin Ezeemo, who scored 9, 564 votes in the primary election conducted in the 326 wards of the state. With this victory, Senator Ngige will be flying the flag of the party in the governorship election slated for November 16.
The overall result was announced yesterday night by the leader of Anambra APC Governorship Primary Election Committee, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau. The primary was conducted through the direct open voting system, involving members of the party in the 21 local government areas of the state.
The Anambra State All Progressives Congress, APC, Governorship Primary Election Committee led by the former Governor of Kano State, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, yesterday adopted the open ballot system in choosing the party’s candidate.
The exercise started in the early hours of the day at the Finotel Hotel, Awka, where the voting materials were shared out to the officers in charge of the designated wards even as the Shekarau-led committee addressed journalists on the import of the exercise and why they adopted the new system.
According to Shekarau; “This is a major outing of the APC in terms of participating in an election being organised by INEC and we are glad to be taking part in the exercise.
“This is the first test of APC as a body, we have to address this election very squarely, the party has put its rules and regulations in place to guide the exercise, APC has to do a special membership registration for this exercise, this exercise will be an open ballot system, and there will be two queues.
“One for Ngige and another for Ezeemo, where voters would line up for counting and ward returning officers would accept the results where they are credible.”
The former governor said they opted for direct primary because it reduces fraud and corruption that are associated with delegates’ election.
“We are bringing democracy to the lowest level, which is the registered members of the party. “APC chose direct primaries to test the popularity of our aspirants, we have given opportunity to every card carrying member of the party to have a role over who runs for the party,” Shekarau stressed.
At Ward One in Alor town, where Ngige hails from, it was a smooth ride as he got about 674 votes to beat his opponent who got only one vote. As the result was announced, Ngige was highly elated as he spoke to journalists on his optimism at the end of the day.