Awka- Prof. Bernard Odoh, Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) National Committee on House of Assembly Primaries in Anambra, said the exercise was peaceful and successful.
Odoh told newsmen at the venue of the Awka South 1 constituency primaries in Awka that only duly accredited delegates who emerged from the ward congresses were allowed to participate in the exercise.
He dismissed the allegation that there were preferred candidates in the elections, saying that the duties of the national panel would have been defeated if candidates had been pre-nominated.
“As you can see, the election went on smoothly and from our experience at the various centres, no form of violence was recorded.
“We have the certificates of returns with us and we have not issued it to anybody; if there were written results, then there is no need for our function here since we arrived on Tuesday night,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Harford Osseke, the Majority Leader in the Anambra House of Assembly representing Awka South 11, was returned unopposed in an election conducted at the Nibo Civic Centre, Nibo.
Osseke said he was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the support he got from the people as this was the second time he was nominated by the constituency to contest elections.
Dr Nnamdi Okafor emerged winner in the primaries for Awka South 1 constituency.
Okafor polled 30 votes out of the possible 75 while Mr Ikebundu Chikwelu was second with 16 votes, followed by Chigozie Okechuku with 6 votes.
Prof. Kate Omenugha, Commissioner for Education, the Collation Officer at the centre, said she was happy to have conducted a peaceful exercise and thanked the participants for the civility.
“This has been a wonderful exercise; I came here to do my job and I am happy everyone is happy with the outcome as it reflects their expectations,” she said.
Okafor, winner of the contest, expressed gratitude to the people of the constituency, promising to provide a purposeful representation if he eventually clinched the seat.
However, Mr Chidi Nwakpolu, who contested for nomination in Aguata constituency 1, said there was no elections in his area because the party officials presented a delegates’ list that did not agree with the one that emerged from the Nov. 26 primaries.
“We had to stop them from conducting the exercise because the list they produced was not the one that we sent as winners of our ward congresses; so no results here,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 152 aspirants are contesting the 30 constituency seats in Anambra on the platform of APGA.(NAN)
