Ifeanyichukwu Odi has won the Ebonyi Peoples 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 Mr Odi polled highest number of valid votes to defeat other five contestants.

According to him, Mr Odi got 349 votes while his closest rival Christian Usolor got nine votes. Chukwuma Nwazunku and Augustine Nwazunku got one vote each.

Mr Rotimi added that Emmanuel Ezeh got one vote while Andrew Sunday got six votes, respectively.

“Therefore, I, Olalekan Rotimi having been conferred with the power to chair this panel hereby declare Chief Ifeanyichukwu Odi having polled the total highest number of valid votes and having met all the requirements winner of the primary election,” the electoral official stated. “The exercise was counted openly and witnessed by agents of the aspirants, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders.”

Meanwhile, Mr 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 pledged to work with every member of the party to achieve victory.

Silas Onu, factional chairman of the party commended the party delegates for peaceful and orderly conduct in the exercise.

A faction of the party loyal to 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.

(NAN)