Kalu Wins Senate Return Ticket for Abia North as Nwaogu Drops Bid in Central
Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia
Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has received a return ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Abia North Senatorial District following his victory at the senate primary poll held at Ohafia.
He coasted home unchallenged with affirmative votes after his only rival, Fabian Okonkwo stepped down for the former governor.
The returning officer, Chief Paul Onwuka who declared the eesult, said that the Senate Chief Whip polled a total of 777 votes to emerge unopposed, in what was a mere formality.
In Abia South, a former state lawmaker Blessing Nwagba won the primary with 279 votes. Her only rival, Dr Kasarachi Enyinnaya threw in the towel just before the counting of votes commenced.
The returning officer, Brig. Gen Victor Nnorom did not see any need to announce the number of votes scored by Enyinnaya after announcing his withdrawal from the contest.
However, it was a different kettle of fish in Abia Central as the primary was rescheduled for Sunday immediate past Pro-chancellor and Chairman Governing Council of the University of Calabar, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu dropped her ambition to return to the Senate.
Nwaogu, who represented Abia Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly between 2007 and 2015, announced she was no longer interested in participating in primary rescheduled for Sunday.
She conveyed her decision to pull out of the senatorial primary in a letter she addressed to her ward, local government, state and the national chairman of APC, which she made available to the media in Umuahia on Saturday.
According to her, the internal wranglings and “undemocratic” actions taken in her party made it inevitable for her to lose interest in her quest to pick the 2023 senatorial ticket of APC for Abia Central.
“I write to express my total disappointment in the ongoing protracted division in our Abia State chapter of APC. The undemocratic manner of the emergence of the purported delegates has further fuelled Division in the party,” she lamented.
Nwaogu assured that despite withdrawing from the senatorial race, she would not walk out of APC where she found succour after dumping PDP in 2015.
“I will remain an active member of our great party, APC, and ever ready to serve the party I any capacity where my services may be required,” she said.
