*Ekweremadu, Ugwu pick senatorial tickets

By TONY EDIKE
GOVERNOR Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, yesterday, emerged winner of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial ticket for the state, following the primaries conducted by only members of his faction of the party and supervised by the Alhaji Tafida Isah-led panel.

This came as the governor’s group condemned the interim order granted by the State High Court restraining National Chairman of the PDP, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, from functioning as the party’s helmsman.

Chime polled 811 of the 824 valid votes cast by the delegates, while two other candidates who were among six contestants from the Nwodo group that boycotted the election, Chief Anayo Onwuegbu and Chief Okey Ezea, got two votes each.

Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday, emerged as the senatorial candidate for Enugu West in the PDP primaries held at Awgu Local Government Secretariat by the faction.

Also elected in the National Assembly primaries was a former member of the House of Representatives, Frank Ugwu from Oba in Udenu Local Government as the senatorial candidate for Enugu North (Nsukka Zone), while the primaries in Enugu East for the election of a senatorial candidate and three House of Representatives candidates were still being conducted at press time.

For the House of Representatives, Mr. Emeka Mamah from Enugu-Ezike emerged candidate for Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency after scoring 325 votes to defeat four other candidates, while a former Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Charles Ogbo Asogwa scored 687 votes in an affirmative election to emerge candidate for Nsukka/Igbo-Eze South Federal Constituency.

In Enugu West senatorial zone, Chief Ike Ekweremadu  polled 1,469 votes, defeating two other candidates,  Mr. O.A.U Onyema and Dr. Chuks Umebuali, who got 71 and 16 votes respectively, while Mr. Toby Okechukwu emerged candidate for Awgu/Aninri/Oji Federal Constituency after beaten 17 other contestants for the PDP ticket.

Meanwhile, Governor Chime’s group has condemned the interim order granted by the State High Court restraining the Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo from functioning as the party’s National Chairman.

A statement signed by the State Chairman of the party, Mr. Vita Abba, said:  “The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Enugu State chapter has been drawn with total dismay to the interim order by an Enugu High Court restraining Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo from acting as the National Chairman of our great Party, the PDP.”

“The State Chapter of the Party feels deeply shocked over the court ruling which is coming at a time the Party has made substantive efforts in resolving the differences between our Governor and the National Chairman of the Party.

“The Party therefore, wishes to disassociate itself and the leader of the Party in the State, Governor Sullivan Chime from this inglorious move by some mischief makers, who are bent on exploiting every fiendish plot to instigate more crises in the Party across the country.