Mr. Oseloka Obaze, on MOnday, won the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket to contest the Anambra governorship election coming up in November. He scored 672 votes to emerge the winner.
Dr. Alex Obiogbolu came second with 190 votes while the Chairman of CapitalOil, Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, polled 94 votes.
Before Governor Dave Umahi, Governor of Ebonyi state and Chairman of the PDP primaries committee could announce the results, one of the aspirants, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah climbed to the stage and complained about irregularities which deprived some of the candidates from accessing the delegates list until the last minute.
Chairman Capital Oil, Ifeanyi Uba , Senator Stella Oduah, former Minister of State for Transportation, Prince John Emeka and a member of the House of Representatives, Lynda Ikpeazu, staged a protest at the venue of the poll over what they termed unwillingness by the party to listen to the yearnings of aspirants. Speaking in a telephone interview with newsmen, Mr. Anayo Ekeanya, Special Adviser, Media to Senator Stella Oduah said the senator was among four other aspirants who staged a protest in Awka.
Ekeanya said other people who protested included: a member of the House of Representatives, Lynda Ikpeazu; Chairman Capital Oil, Ifeanyi Uba as well as former Minister of State for Transportation, Prince John Emeka.
According to him, the Senator has threatened to abstain from the race if the party does not consider the demands of the aspirants over the delegates’ conference which was marred with irregularities.
She maintained that she would protest to the end or abstain from the primaries if the party does not revisit the delegates’ conference.
Oduah alleged that the returning officers of the conference personally filled the result sheets that was submitted in Abuja, and discarded the one used for the conference. On Friday, Senator Oduah while addressing newsmen, had said that ward congress of the party held last Wednesday to elect three delegates per ward was fraught with “irregularities and sabotage”.
“As if the case of hijacking was not enough, the ultimate result of the ward congress which was submitted by the secretary of the panel was swapped with a doctored result. “The exercise violated all known principles of democratic practice. Several complaints have continued to trail the exercise as most party faithful are disgruntled and agitated,” Oduah said.
She disclosed that she had petitioned the National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, over the matter, and threatened to withdraw from the primary if the party failed to address the problem.
“Based on the above, I wrote to notify the chairman of my protest and intention to withdraw from the 2017 gubernatorial primaries in Anambra if the party fails to address the issues presented. “This is because the approach employed for the party primary is not aimed at winning election.
“The implication of this is to subject loyal party faithful to stressful and rancorous primary to weaken and sap the strength of candidate that will emerge from the exercise. “It should be recalled that this has been the reason our party has been losing gubernatorial elections in Anambra,” she said.