Ikpeazu’s Chief of Staff Emerges New Abia PDP Governorship Candidate

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday elected Chief Ambrose Okechukwu Ahaiwe as its new candidate to replace the late Professor Eleazar Uche Ikonne, who passed away on January 25, 2023.
Ahaiwe, who until last week was the Chief of Staff to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, emerged victorious in the special governorship primary held at the Umuahia Township Stadium.

The Chairman of the committee and Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, said Ahaiwe scored 469 votes, representing 91 percent of the 516 votes cast by the delegates.
The Deputy Governor of Abia State, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, came a distant second with 12 votes alongside Lucky Igbokwe, who got the same number of votes, while Sampson Orji got 11.

Before balloting, three of the eight contestants, Bob Ogu, Eric Opah, and Ezinwanyi Jonah, stepped down for Ahaiwe, citing the zoning arrangement to Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area.

The late governorship candidate hailed from Isiala Ngwa North, and the State Caucus of the party decided last Sunday to retain the ticket in that area.
In his acceptance speech, Ahaiwe said he was humbled to be chosen to fly the ruling party’s flag in the 2023 poll.
“The decision to take the ticket back to Isiala North has united our party and made it stronger,” he said, adding that it was a product of wide consultations across the state.

The former Chief of Staff said the primary outcome was a victory for everybody with “no victor, no vanquished.”
He called on the other aspirants to join hands with him and make the party formidable enough to win the forthcoming polls.
Governor Obaseki had, while addressing the delegates, said the special governorship primary, which was ordered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was in consonant with the provisions of the Electoral  Act.

“The process here today is to strengthen democracy because someone who has been popularly and democratically nominated will be supported by all,” he said.
The exercise was monitored by the INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye, and the Abia State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ike Uzochukwu.