APC Governorship primaries updates

                                                               Barr Ezea Enugu candidate

Governor Ibikunle Amosun has emerged the gubernatorial candidate of All Progressives Congress(APC) for Ogun State following governorship primaries of the party that returned him.

At the APC governorship primary election conducted at the  MKO Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta, the state capital, Amosun  who was the lone aspirant, garnered 3,554 votes out of the 3, 681 delegates that voted but 16 votes were void.
Security agencies, a team of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led Kehinde Mustapha witnessed the exercise while the electoral committee for the primary was headed by Tunde Oladunjoye.
Addressing party members and supporters after he was declared winner, Amosun said it is a call to “greater service for the people of the state.”
He said: “what happened today is a demonstration to what APC stand for, we must abide by the rule of the game which says that primaries must be conducted.
“It is a call for further service to the people of Ogun. They have given me the mandate to continue the service that we have been rendering to the people of Ogun.”
Accept result of the primary – Tinubu
I urge us all to comport ourselves in a brotherly manner and with a democratic spirit. And to accept the result of the primary as the choice of our party that we may move forward to protect the Lagos we have jointly built and to continue the progress we jointly seek.
I thank all Lagosians, party leaders at both the state and national levels who have worked tirelessly to make today possible.
Please reflect on what is good for Lagos. Our enemy is lying in wait expecting us to fall apart and come against each other. You are twelve aspirants and like the twelve tribes of Israel you may have some differences but you must remain one and united. No one tears down what he has labored hard to build. Let us put the enemy to shame by resolving to work together as a family because that is what we are and must always be: a family.
Peaceful election in Niger
The governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State took off peacefully at about 12:30pm in Minna, the state capital.
Over 4,000 delegates from 25 local government areas of the state converged at the Trade Fair Complex in Minna as early as 10am while the electoral officers and voting materials arrived on time for the exercise.
Addressing delegates, the chairman governorship primaries election committee, Hon. Mathias Umeh, said all arrangement have been made for a peaceful, free and fair election and advised them to abide by the rules of the exercise.
Three aspirants are contesting for the party’s governorship ticket. They are – one time Commissioner for Commerce in the state, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, Senator Musa Ibrahim and Sani Idris Aloma.
Early arrivals at the congress include the party’s presidential aspirant from the state, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah, Gen. Garba Idris, a member of the party’s board of trustees and members of the state executive council of the party.
Nda-Isaiah, who is a delegate from Chanchaga local government area of the state, voted at about 1:37pm.
Voting is still in progress as at the time of the filing this report.
Ahmed emerges governorship candidate in Kwara
Kwara state Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has won the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship  primaries.
The governor pledged to work harder to transform more lives and elevate the state.
Alhaji Ahmed polled a total of 3,016 votes.
The delegates numbering 3,025 from the 193 wards that made up the 16 local government area of the state cast their votes for the governor to contest the 2015 general elections.
He was the sole candidate of party.
Declaring the result of the exercise,  the leader of the APC national delegation, Prince Azu Uwandu said the incumbent governor scored total of 3,016 valid votes cast,while nine of the votes were invalid.
Mr. Uwandu hailed the delegates for conducting themselves peacefully during the election.
He assured them that the party being a peaceful party will surely form government in the state and national.
In his acceptance speech Kwara state governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed thanked the delegates for coming to elect him as the governorhip of the party.
He said the government has done a lot in the areas of infrastructural development health ,education among others.
He said the government will support youth empowerment to further drive job for the people of the state.
In his remark the APC leader in the state and Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, Bulola Saraki commended the delegates for conducting themselves peacefully during and after the primaries.
Primary suspended in Imo
The nationwide governorship primaries of the  All Progressive Congress(APC) was  suspended in Imo State following the inability of the state chapter of the party to produce aspirants for the  election.
Although no specific date has been fixed for the governorship primary, the State Chairman of the party, Hillary Eke disclosed that a new date for the election might be fixed after a general meeting of the party held on Thursday.
But the Vice  Chairman of the party, Hon Ugochukwu Nzekwe insisted that the election may come up on Friday as the party he noted is still working on the list of aspirants.
The State Commissioner for Information, Chief Chidi Ibe also expressed  confidence that the primaries may hold on Friday.
Both the state chairman and his Deputy were not sure  of the number of governorship aspirants contesting the election.
“We are meeting to fine tune arrangements about the election, we have numerous governorship aspirants. We are prepared for the election” Eke said.
Delegates endorse Gaidam in Yobe
The  coast seem to completely clear  for Governor Ibrahim Gaidam to run for governorship of Yobe State in  the 2015 general elections  with the endorsement of over 2000 delegates of the party in Damaturu on Thursday .
The primary which was held at the government house witnessed tight security especially coming three days  after the dastardly attack on Damaturu.
Both male and female delegates were thoroughly searched with electronic scanners and manual screening before gaining access into the venue of the event.
The consensus endorsement was led by the State Deputy Gov. Engr. Abubakar Aliyu who first cast his vote.
Among other delegates were members of the National Assembly led by Senator Ahmed Lawan, while the Speaker of the State House of Assembly Adamu Dala Dogo led members of the Assembly.
The Secretary to the State Government , Engr. Babagoni Machina and thousands of other delegates voted for the governor as the APC gubernatorial candidate for the state.
Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Babagana Tijani Banki said that the APC in Yobe and Borno are only going through the process to fulfill the requirements of the electoral law as the party has only one candidate each in the states.
Ezea emerges candidate in Enugu
A two-time gubernatorial candidate in Enugu state, Okey Ezea has emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu state.
Ezea who emerged unopposed at the party primaries which took place at the APC secretariat in Enugu had contested for the position  on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) in 2007 after losing out in the PDP primaries and 2011 elections.
His emergence followed a voice vote by the 3467 delegates drawn from the 260 wards in the state.
Ezea’s initial opponent, Ifeanyi Asogwa was said to have withdrawn to contest for the Nsukka/Igboeze South federal constituency seat.
In his acceptance speech, the gubernatorial candidate pledged the provide free education, qualitative health care delivery and improved welfare scheme for the  people of the  state if elected as governor next year.
He accused the People Democratic Party (PDP) led federal and state government of total failure in the past 16 years, noting that the best for the nation at this point in time is for Nigerians to give their mandate to the APC.
Ezea who specifically said the present administration in the state had received a whopping N544 billion in the past 8 years without anything to show for it noted that he was ready to offer an accountable and transparent leadership for the state by next year.
Chairman of APC in the state, Dr.  Ben Nwoye said the opposition party was ready to wrestle power from the ruling party, noting that already their 24 House of Assembly candidates had emerged and ready for the battle ahead.
“We are the party for 2015. Those in PDP from the governorship to the ward level should prepare to take their leave because the right people have come to liberate the people of the state,” he said.
The Nation