The immediate past Chief of Staff to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Chief Okey Ahiwe, has won the Peoples Democratic Party, governorship primary.
According to Daily post, the Chairman of the PDP Election Committee, Governor Godwin Obaseki, announced the results as follows on Saturday.
Ahiwe won the governorship ticket with a total of 469 votes, followed by Rt Hon Ude Oko Chukwu who clinched 12 Votes. Don Lulu and Samson Orji polled 12 and 11 votes respectively.
Okey Ahiwe won 469 out of the total vote cast of 516 to clinch the seat.
How the seat became vacant
The election became necessary following the demise of Prof. Uche Ikonne who was to fly the party’s flag in the 2023 general election.
Prof.Uche Ikonne died on January 25.
Following his death, the PDP caucus in Abia State met and micro-zoned the position to Ikonne’s Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area as a mark of respect.
Despite agitations from two former aspirants, the party threw the contest open for aspirants from the LGA citing the new electoral law.
The timetable released by the national body of the party indicated that a fresh primary would be held tomorrow, February 4, at Umuahia Township Stadium, to choose a replacement for Ikonne.
Among the candidates is Opah, founder of Fortune Global Shipping and Logistics Limited and Fortune Marine and Energy Services Limited. He is a chieftain of the PDP and hails from Mbubo, in Isiala Ngwa North LGA. Another frontrunner is Okey Ahiwe, who is Chief of Staff (CoS) to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. Ahiwe hails from Umuire Village in Eziama Ntigha Autonomous Community of Isiala-Ngwa North LGA.
The third is Bob Ogu, a lawyer and former Commissioner for Works in the state who also hails from Isiala North LGA.