Nicholas Ukachukwu has emerged as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Anambra governorship election following a commanding lead in the party’s primary.
The primary, which kicked off on Saturday and concluded by 4:19 a.m. on Sunday, saw Ukachukwu amass 1,455 votes.
His closest rival, Valentine Ozigbo, received 67 votes. Johnbosco Onunkwo and Edozie Madu earned 26 and 8 votes respectively, while 27 votes were nullified.
Announcing the result, Cross River Governor and APC returning officer Bassey Otu declared Ukachukwu as the winner and applauded the maturity shown by all participants.
“This victory belongs to the party. It’s a collective journey,” he remarked, emphasizing the importance of unity going forward.
Governor Otu also thanked security agencies for their role in ensuring a peaceful process and acknowledged the delegates for their dedication. Out of 1,630 total delegates, 1,582 were accredited.
In his acceptance speech, Ukachukwu described the election as historic and thanked President Bola Tinubu for enabling a transparent process in Anambra’s APC chapter.
“We’ve made history. But this is just the start. We must all unite to face the incumbent in November. I won’t let you down,” he assured supporters.
Ukachukwu, who represented Abuja Municipal in the House of Representatives back in 1999, will now face off against Governor Chukwuma Soludo of APGA in the November 8 election.