By Francis Igata

Enugu – Three parallel primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, took place at different locations within the Enugu metropolis.

The Ayogu Eze’s faction of the party moved away from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium to conduct a separate primary at Filbon Hotel, Enugu, following confirmed reports that the list of delegates approved by the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party was changed for a fresh one by the Ikeje Asogwa’s faction, while the group led by a transport mogul, Evang. Samuel Onyishi, boycotted the primary over the illegality of the delegates list provided for the primary.

The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Eugene Odo is also in the race but eventually showed up at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium an indication that he has aligned with the Sullivan Chime/ Asogwa faction. Senator Eze won at a parallel primary conducted at Fibon with 530 votes out of 614 votes cast.

Both Anayo Onwuegbu and Chinedu Onu who are close allies of the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu withdrew for Hon Ugwuanyi on the prodding of Ekweremadu.

Ugwuanyi, House Committee Chairman on Maritime is the anointed candidate of Governor Chime.

However, going by the outcome of the delegates election conducted by Elder David Aja, on November 1, 2014, which was boycotted by the Chime’s group led by Mr Asogwa, Ekweremadu produced majority of the delegates from Enugu West Senatorial District, while Eze produced most of those from Enugu North Senatorial Zone.

Onu later said that he withdrew for PDP and not for any person as he was not satisfied with the way the primary was organised by the party.

However, the delegates from the Enugu East Senatorial zone owe their victories to the former Minister of Information, Mr Frank Nweke Jnr and his group including Senator Gil Nnaji among others.

Sources said that although Ekweremadu had lent his weight to the aspirations of Hon. Ugwanyi, there would not have been any major upset as his two allies who withdrew from the race on his instructions had no control over the delegates from their zones.

At the time of filing this report, Ugwuanyi group were still holding their primary at the Stadium were he is expected to emerge winner.
As at Sunday night, almost all the delegates approved by the National Working Committee, NWC, had gathered at Senator Eze’s Enugu home while those from Enugu East who were loyal to Nweke Jnr and his group were also camped in the former minister’s country home in Nkanu, waiting to vote for the Senator.

At a news briefing presided over by the Chairman of the PDP Electoral Panel in Enugu State, King Asarah A. Asarah, Eze and Onyishi raised concerns over the genuineness of the delegates list used in the exercise.

Onyishi said,”why should the delegates list to be used in today’s governorship primary be different from what was used in the House of Reps and Senatorial primaries. It is purely a case of selective delegates.

“I am still in the race of governorship. If I had gone to the stadium, venue of the primary, it will mean I am giving impetus to the adulterated delegates list.”

Responding,the electoral panel chairman Asarah A. Asarh said,”I know the list was not the certified list from the court. My hands are tied. I cannot go contrary to the mandate given to me.”

It was expected that the combined efforts of Senator Eze and his friends in Enugu East would have whittled down the efforts of Senator Ekweremadu, who had already got his ticket back to the Senate for the fourth time following the withdrawal of Governor Chime from the race.