Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Odi, has won the Ebonyi People’s Democratic Party (PDP) primary election conducted at the party’s state secretariat on Sunday in Abakaliki.
Olalekan Rotimi, the electoral panel chairman who declared the results said that Odi polled highest number of valid votes to defeat other five contestants.
According to him, Odi got a total of 349 votes while his closest rival Mr. Christian Usolor, got nine votes, adding that Chief Chukwuma Nwazunku, and Mr. Augustine Nwazunku. got one vote each.
Rotimi also added that Emmanuel Ezeh got one vote, while Mr. Andrew Sunday.polled six votes respectively.
“Therefore, I, Olalekan Rotimi, having been conferred with the power to chair this panel, hereby declare Chief Ifeanyochukwu Odi, having polled the total highest number of valid votes and having met all the requirements winner of the primary election.
“The exercise was counted openly and witnessed by agents of the aspirants, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders,” Rotimi said.
Meanwhile, Odi in his acceptance speech thanked the delegates and the party for electing him to carry the party’s flag and promised to lead PDP to victory in the 2023 governorship election in Ebonyi.
“He said: ” I thank the leadership of our great party from national down to state level; I want to use this opportunity to thank the delegates and Ebonyi PDP for finding it worthy to nominate me as gubernatorial candidate for the election coming in 2023.
“Today has marked another great day in the history of Ebonyi. This victory is victory for all of us; it is a victory for the unity of Ebonyi, it is a victory for wealth creation in Ebonyi.
“I want to thank our party leaders. I want to assure that this flag given to me that I will carry it diligently and make sure that we carry our party to victory.
He further called on other contestants who might in one way or the other were aggrieved to embrace the new dawn saying that PDP is one family.He assured that he would work together with every member of the party to achieve victory.
Mr Silas Onu, factional chairman of the party commended the party delegates for peaceful and orderly conduct in the exercise.
Newsmen reports that a faction of the party loyal to Chief Tochukwu Okorie, had earlier at a news conference in Abakaliki on Sunday announced that the primary elections in the state had been cancelled on the directive of the national leadership of the PDP.
The faction noted that the date for the primary election would be announced in due course.
