A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State has declared Chief Dona Nwogbo as the winner of its governorship primary election, held on Thursday across the state. The primary, which also produced candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives, and State House of Assembly, concluded with the final collation of results in Enugu. The exercise was described as peaceful and widely participated in by party members, with no reports of violence or unrest during the process.
The Returning Officer for the Enugu State PDP primaries, Yarima Edachaba, announced the results and praised the conduct of party members throughout the election. “By the grace of God, you can see that we have declared the winners of these primaries. By next year, the election itself will commence in full. The turnout was massive in the places we visited. There was no violence or fight in any way,” Edachaba stated. He expressed confidence that the party would remain united ahead of the general elections.
Speaking after the collation, Steve Oruruo, Acting Factional Chairman of the PDP in Enugu State, hailed the primary as a demonstration of internal democracy and transparent leadership recruitment. He emphasized that the process was conducted without rancour, quarrel, or skirmishes, setting a new standard for party primaries. “Leadership recruitment process should determine the coloration of quality leadership. So the warped value and poor leadership threat that we have witnessed over the years are just mere products of bad primaries of parties. Today we have presented a primary devoid of rancour, quarrel and skirmishes,” Oruruo said.
Oruruo dismissed claims of division within the party, asserting that the leadership structure under his faction remains legally recognised. He referenced a high court judgment and a final Supreme Court decision that affirmed the legitimacy of the Board of Trustees (BOT) led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara. “That leadership has since appointed leaders at the national level to man positions in the PDP and they are in charge of the processes today. So any other thing violates the law and is tantamount to nullity before the law,” he added.
The PDP also unveiled its candidates for the three senatorial districts in the state. Basil Aguigwo emerged as the candidate for Enugu West Senatorial District, Dr. Nwatu Anthony for Enugu East, and Lady Asogwa Beatrice for Enugu North. For the House of Representatives, Isaac Onoyima secured the ticket for Igboeze South/Nsukka Federal Constituency, while Nwatu Chukwudi was chosen for Nkanu East/West Federal Constituency.
Other candidates include Lilian Ugwuoke for Enugu East/Isi Uzo, Onah Uchechukwu for Aninri/Awgu/Oji River, Nnaji Erobuike for Enugu North/South, Chief Cosmas Onyia for Udi/Ezeagu, Anikezie Michael for Igbo Etiti/Uzo Uwani, and Eze Ephraim for Udenu/Igbo Eze North Federal Constituencies.
The announcement comes amid ongoing leadership disputes within the PDP in Enugu, with another faction led by Chief Vitus Okechi having previously held separate primaries that produced Chief Uche Nnaji as its governorship candidate. Despite the rivalry, the faction led by Oruruo insists its processes are legally valid and backed by court rulings.
As the 2027 general elections approach, the outcome of this primary will likely influence the political landscape in Enugu State, with both factions vying for legitimacy and public support.
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