Enugu PDP Conducts Chairmanship Primaries

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last Saturday conducted primary elections for its chairmanship aspirants for the December 10, 2011, local government elections in Enugu State.

The Tide gathered that the elections were devoid of violence in the local governments within Enugu metropolis and in Nsukka where correspondents visited.

The elections came on the heels of days of consultations between Governor Sullivan Chime and PDP stakeholders from the various local government areas during which grey areas were ironed out.

In the Enugu North LGA, Mr Emeka Ede, the Deputy Chairman, beat eight others to win the chairmanship ticket of the party.

Ede, a native of Ogui Nike, picked the ticket with 187 votes out of the 199 votes cast.

Mr Nestor Ochin, the Chief Returning Officer of the election in the local government said that it was relatively peaceful.

According to him, the eight other contestants stayed away from the election venue, paving the way for the vice chairman to poll the highest number of votes.

“It was only Emeka Ede who was here present among the nine contestants. Others did not step down for him but they were not present to even make their minds known.”, Ochin said.

“Having gotten the highest votes cast, Emeka Ede was declared the winner of the election,’’ he said.

On his part, Ede thanked God for His grace and his people for the opportunity to serve them again.

He said he would follow the good works of the government of Enugu State by focusing on infrastructural development, human capital development and peaceful co-existence among his people.

The deputy chairman pledged to involve his fellow contestants who did not get the ticket in his government if he became the chairman of the council.

In the Enugu South Local Government Area, Mr Nwabueze Okafor, the incumbent chairman, won the primary with 264 votes out of the total valid 274 votes to defeat three other contestants.

Similarly in Enugu East Local Government Area, Mr Cornelius Nnaji won the party’s ticket for the chairmanship seat.

Nnaji, who is from the royal family of the Nike clan, contested with 13 other aspirants who stepped down for him.

In Nsukka, following the stakeholders’ meeting, the incumbent Chairman, Mr Tony Ugwu, was returned unopposed.