Owan-Enoh, Jime, Ihedioha, Ogbuoji pick governorship tickets

MORE governorship candidates were yesterday picked by major parties.

In Cross River State, Senator John Owan-Enoh was elected the All Progressive Congress candidate.

Announcing the result yesterday in Calabar, Chairman of Electoral Committee Mr. Ali Magaji said Owan-Enoh scored 82,272 votes from 101,212 votes cast.

A former Minister of Culture and Tourism Mr. Edem Duke got 7,367 votes and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Mr. Usani Usani had 1,778 votes.

Owan-Enoh expressed happiness with the result, saying the people of Cross River spoke in unity.

Former Managing Director, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) Emmanuel Jime won the APC ticket in Benue State.

All five aspirants stepped down for Jime, a former House of Representatives member.

These are: Chief Akange Audu, Asema Achado, Michael Iordye, Titus Zam and Benjamin Adanyi.

Chairman of the governorship primaries in the state, Mr. Mutiu Are, asked those who were in support of Jime’s candidature to affirm by voice vote. And they did.

Benue APC leader Senator George Akume hailed the aspirants for their decision to endorse Jime.

Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, emerged winner of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primaries in Imo State.

Ihedioha won the contest with a total of 1,723 votes to defeat the Senator representing Imo East, Mr. Samuel Anyanwu, who came second with 1,282 votes.

Other aspirants, who participated in the process, are: former senator representing Okigwe senatorial zone, Mr. Athan Achonu, who scored 63 votes, Prof. Jude Njoku, 21votes, Chukwuma Ekomaru (SAN), seven votes and Mr. Chukwuemeka Ezeji, 1 vote

Senator Sonni Ogbuoji representing Ebonyi South was winner of APC governorship primary election held in Ebonyi, which lasted for two days.

Ogbuoji was declared winner of the keenly contested election by the chairman of the governorship election committee, Senator Domingo Obande, in Abakaliki.

He polled 785 votes and his closest rival, Prof. Bernard ODO, the immediate past Secretary to the State Government, polled 519 votes.

The former ambassador to Romania during the Obasanjo regime, Ambassador Umar Ilya Damagum, emerged the governorship candidate of the PDP in Yobe State.

The primary elections of the PDP, which were also held on Sunday produced Ambassador Ilya Damagum after his fellow contestant Ambassador Umar El-Gash decided to step down for him following a consensus agreement at the venue of in Damaturu.

The presiding chairman of the election, Ahmed Tijani, hailed the peaceful nature of the exercise.