Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has emerged the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election ahead of the upcoming off-season elections in Nigeria in November. The governor, who was the only candidate in the election, scored 63,618 votes to win the primary held at Ndubusi Kanu Square in Owerri. In his acceptance speech, Uzodimma thanked the people of Imo State for the victory, saying it is dedicated to God Almighty and a mark of confidence from the members of the great party and the entire Imo people at large.
The APC governorship primary election was also held in Bayelsa and Kogi states, with the results being collated at the time of going to press. In Bayelsa State, the party adopted option A4 for the direct primary to choose its flagbearer for the governorship election scheduled for November 11.
Members of the party were seen queuing up behind aspirants of their choice in the presence of INEC officials, security officials, and agents of the aspirants. The votes were collated at the ward level, and the relevant sheets were filled before they were taken by the INEC officials to the local government collation centers where the second stage of collation will take place before they are finally brought to the national headquarters at Yenagoa for further compilation and announcement of final result.
According to an official of INEC, the election was concluded, but it is uncertain if the collation of results has started or not. As of the time of filing this report, no result has been declared so far from any of the local government collation centers. In Kogi State, the collation of results for the APC governorship primary election commenced late in the night after the conclusion of voting.
However, a former managing director of Rural Electrification Agency and gubernatorial aspirant of the APC in the state, Dr. Sanusi Ohiare, expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the primary election. Ohiare, who was among the few aspirants that didn’t withdraw from the governorship race, declared that there was no primary election in any part of Kogi State.
In his acceptance speech, Uzodimma assured the people of Imo State that the confidence they had reposed in him would not be betrayed. He said the party is like a vehicle, and all that is needed is for the vehicle to deliver the people to their destination. He prayed that God Almighty would give him the courage, wisdom, knowledge, and resources to take Imo State to its destination.
Governor Hope Uzodimma has won the APC primary election in Imo State, Nigeria, and has assured the people of the state that their confidence in him will not be betrayed. The APC primary election was also held in Bayelsa and Kogi states, and the results are being collated