Politics
APGA To Repeat Primary Elections In 16 Wards In Anambra State
By Okey Maduforo Awka
A total of 16 Wards will repeat the primary elections for the State and National Assembly primary elections in Anambra state.
This in responds to the issues raised by some Aspirants of the party in the just concluded primary elections in the state.
Anambra state Chinaman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA Barr Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, this is based on the directives of the State and National Assembly Primary Elections Community of the party .
“I have been directed by the National Assembly Electoral Committee and the State Assembly Electoral Committee of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for Anambra State to notify all party members, aspirants, and stakeholders that supplementary primary elections shall be conducted on Tuesday, 26th May, 2026, in selected wards of the following State and Federal Constituencies”
“The list of the affected Wards are Awka North and Awka South Federal Constituency; Awka Ward 5, Nibo Ward 2, Nibo Ward 3, Nise Ward 2, Mbaukwu Ward in Awka South LGA as well as Amanuke Ward, and Ebenebe Ward 1 in Awka North LGA”
” Dunukofia/Njikoka/Anaocha Federal Constituency; Abba Ward 1, Abba Ward 2, Abagana Ward 1, Abagana Ward 2, Abagana Ward 3, Abagana Ward 4, Nimo Ward 1, Nimo Ward 2, Nimo Ward 3, and Nimo Ward 4 in Njikoka LGA”
“. Awka South II State Constituency;
Nibo Ward 3 and Mbaukwu Ward”
The party also directed that voting would commence at exactly 9 am in the affected Wards.
“Accreditation & Voting: Party members in the affected wards are to report to the designated election venues by 9am prompt with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for accreditation and voting’
“Voting Method: Voting shall be conducted by Option A4 in line with the approved election guidelines.
Conduct: Aspirants are hereby placed on notice to mobilize their supporters to participate in an orderly, lawful, and peaceful manner”
“The party expects full compliance and cooperation from all concerned to ensure a credible and seamless exercise” he said.
Politics
APGA Dismisses Social Media Results For Anambra State And NASS Primaries As Petitions Flood Appeal Panel
By Okey Maduforo Awka
All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA in Anambra state has dismissed Social Media Results of the last Saturday’s State and National Assembly primary elections in the area describing it as false .
The party also stated that the only body charged with the responsibility of declaring results from the exercises is the Appeal Committee set up by the party to look into petitions arising from the election and not Social Media reports .
Recall that since Saturday, countless petitions have greeted the Appeal Committee protesting the outcome of the three primary elections in the area .
Results so far made public emanated from Social Media reports which the. National Publicity Secretary of the party Mazi Ejimofor Opara in a statement described as false .
According to Para , it is only the Chairman of the panel that has the authority to cancel or uphold any result from the three elections.
“Every election has two sides. When the umpire tosses the coin, it can fall either way”
“The outcome is a matter of probability, and only strategic, rule-based decisions produce results that stand”
“From a distance, it’s easy to mistake heads for tails. When that happens, only the umpire with the closest view can say with certainty what the coin shows. The same principle applies to our primaries”
Making reference to the Article 21 of the party’s guideline for the primary elections he said that it made it explicit.
“Article 21 of APGA’s Procedures for the Anambra National Assembly and State House of Assembly Primary Election 2026, which was distributed to all aspirants, is clear”
“Where there are discrepancies in the ward results collated and declared by the returning officer and that of the electoral panel, the Chairman of the Electoral Panel is empowered to cancel the result and place reliance on the verified ward results in determining the winner of the said election.”
“This provision gives the Electoral Panel Chairman the authority to resolve discrepancies when superior, verified evidence exists”
Opara informed that the party also has other mechanisms for the resolving of issues concerning the conduct and outcome of the primary elections.
“Beyond that, the party has other internal mechanisms to address stalemates or inconclusive primaries”
“At the end of the day, only the party can authenticate the credibility of a primary election result”
“Aspirants who flood social media with unverified results are stoking mischief”
“APGA will not validate outcomes based on online posts, regardless of how highly placed the individual may be”
He advised that it is in the best interest of aggressive aspirants to exploit the internal mechanisms of the party to settle such matters .
“It is in the best interest of all aspirants and their supporters to use the party’s internal processes to address any perceived infractions”
“That is how disputes are resolved fairly, and how the party protects its integrity”
“APGA remains one big family. We win together, and we will keep winning together”;He emphasised.
Fresh facts have emerged on how the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, lost the backing of President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in the prolonged power tussle with his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Credible leaders of the APC involved in efforts to resolve the crisis between Fubara and Wike that the governor fell out with the President and the ruling party after allegedly reneging on reconciliation terms.
A member of the National Working Committee of the party, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that the APC leadership refused to officially welcome Fubara into the party after his defection because he did not have Wike’s blessings.
“The President handed over the political structure of Rivers State to Wike. Fubara joined the party to outsmart Wike in a desperate move to secure a second term. But the party leadership already knew the body language of the President. That was why no official reception was given to Fubara after he joined the APC,” the party official said.
He added, “The President advised him to focus on governance and leave Wike alone for party politics. The President intervened and saved him from the first impeachment plot against him (Fubara).
“On the second impeachment plot as well, the President told him to focus on governance and leave Wike alone. It was at that time that all parties agreed that he would not go for a second term. Fubara agreed to that, and that is why Wike always says, ‘Agreement is agreement.’
“But once the governor settles in Port Harcourt, some people would advise him against Wike again, telling him he is the governor and the leader of the party,” the APC NWC member added.
The source said it was impossible for the APC leadership to support Fubara’s second-term ambition, knowing it was against the settlement terms and that Tinubu was not in support.
The insider added that Fubara might have been misled by some APC chieftains who assured him of the party’s support.
“Even on this ongoing governorship matter, I am aware the party leadership told him that the Presidency and the Governors’ Forum were not on his side. Fubara had even told some party officials that he would not attend the governorship screening exercise, only for him to appear before the screening committee in Abuja.
“The body language of the President is that Wike is in charge of Rivers politics, and Fubara should have seen that. Fubara did not have input in the screening committee of the APC for Rivers House of Assembly and National Assembly aspirants. All his candidates were disqualified.
“The structure of the Rivers APC primary was given to Wike. Wike is in control of Rivers politics and, until something changes, he will continue to hold sway in the state,” he added.
It was also gathered that Fubara was not cleared by the party’s governorship screening committee headed by its National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru.
“What I know is that Fubara was not cleared by the APC screening committee to contest. That was why he left in anger. If you remember, he stormed out of the screening venue angrily. He had a very bitter look on his face. He was not cleared; he was told he could not contest under the party. That means he was disqualified from the race.
“That he withdrew from the race is face-saving. A person who has been disqualified cannot participate in the primary. That was what happened,” the party leader, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity on Friday, said.
One of the loyalists of the FCT minister also confirmed that Fubara was barred from contesting by the APC, boasting that “Wike has sealed the governor’s fate.”
According to the ally, who also spoke on condition of anonymity on Friday, the APC was “simply following the agreement that Fubara would not contest for a second term.”
“That is not power play or wickedness; it is simply honouring an agreement that Fubara himself agreed to. He would not have escaped impeachment if not for the President and Wike himself. Part of the agreement to settle the recurrent political crisis in Rivers then was that he would not contest for a second term, and he agreed.
“APC is just working towards that agreement, and that was why Fubara was not cleared to contest,” he added.
Meanwhile, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, did not take his calls or respond to messages sent to him for comments on the matter.
How APC denied Fubara reception
Fubara officially left the Peoples Democratic Party for the APC on December 9, 2025.
The governor thereafter visited the National Secretariat of the APC on December 17, where he pledged to collaborate with the party to ensure President Tinubu and the APC secured victory across all levels in 2027.
The National Chairman of the APC, Yilwatda, described Fubara’s defection as significant, noting that it completed the alignment of the South-South region with the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Despite this, the party refused to organise an official reception for Fubara after his defection.
All the PDP governors, including Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Douye Diri (Bayelsa) and Peter Mbah (Enugu), who joined the APC, were officially received into the party by a delegation usually led by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
But Fubara was not given such a reception, a development that had earlier signalled the governor’s low standing in the party.
Yilwatda had, in February, explained that Fubara had not been formally welcomed into the party because of “regional sensitivities.”
The APC chairman, while speaking on TVC, said, “We have Kano we’re preparing for. When you’re dealing in politics, we opted to clear the North first because Ramadan is coming and most of the people in the North are Muslims.
“We have a lot of communities in the North that are sensitive to the issue of Ramadan. So, we pleaded that we clear the northern governors who have to come to the APC first before going to the South, where we don’t have Ramadan as an issue.
“So, these are strategies and also an acknowledgement of the sensitivity of each community. That’s the reason we took that decision. It has nothing to do with Siminalayi Fubara not having authority.”
Surviving three impeachment plots
Findings revealed that Fubara survived three impeachment plots as the political crisis in the state escalated at different times.
The first impeachment plot against the governor began on October 30, 2023, barely five months after he assumed office.
About 24 lawmakers reportedly signed the impeachment notice, a move that triggered chaos at the Assembly complex in Port Harcourt, including protests, teargas and a fire incident at the Assembly chamber.
That 2023 attempt was later withdrawn in December 2023 after President Tinubu brokered a peace deal between the factions.
During the peak of the political crisis between Fubara and Wike in March 2025, the lawmakers, led by the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, also moved to impeach Fubara and his deputy, which then generated tension in the state.
Tinubu, on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, the Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly for six months.
The President appointed a retired Rear Admiral, Ibok-Ete Ibas, as the state administrator.
However, Tinubu announced the end of the state of emergency on September 17, 2025.
S’South youths, groups reject Fubara’s withdrawal
Meanwhile, several groups have expressed disappointment over Fubara’s withdrawal from the 2027 elections.
Amongst them is long standing supporter of the governor and pioneer spokesman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, Anabs Sara-Igbe, who expressed sadness over Fubara’s action.
Sara-Igbe, an elder statesman, blamed Wike for the development.
He said, “I have never seen this happen where one man thinks he can do and undo and nobody can challenge him. Rivers people, shine your eyes. Rivers people wake up from your slumber. Rivers people, it is time for us to fight and take back our state.”
Similarly, the Chairman Emeritus of Ijaw Youths Council, Eastern Zone, Ibim Ibiwari, said Ijaw people were disappointed with the decision of the governor to step down from the political contest.
He said, “It breaks my heart because the Ijaw people from 1999 have supported various gubernatorial aspirants and they become governor.
“From our leader, our father, Sir Peter Odili to Sir Celestine Omehia, then to Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi and we gave the totality to the serving FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike you as media people are all aware that a lot of Ijaw people paid the supreme price with their lives in Abonema and other Ijaw communities to ensure that he came into power through our mother, Patience Jonathan, wife of the former President.”
Ibiwari said Fubara’s withdrawal has left many of his supporters frustrated and in a “mourning mood.”
“I could not even take my son to school when it dawned on me that the governor was no longer contesting the election,” he added.
Ibiwari raised concerns about the projects initiated by the Fubara administration including the reconstruction of the Port Harcourt Tourist Beach and the Creek Road market and appealed to the governor to complete the projects.
Also speaking, the National President of the South-South Youths Initiative, Savior Imeabe, condemned the governor’s decision to step down despite what he described as overwhelming support from the people.
He said the governor should know that he holds the office in trust for the people of the state and that such a decision was not his alone to make and urged him to reconsider his decision, which he described as disappointing.
Imeabe called on the governor not to make the mistake of handing over the state to people without the interest of Rivers at heart.
On his part, a former aide to Fubara, Chris Itamunola, described the governor’s withdrawal as unacceptable, saying his reason for maintaining peace in the state was not tenable, especially as the state had been in a political crisis for over three years.
He stated, “What peace? For the past three years, almost four years, have we had peace? What type of peace? A peace that throws us politically into the hands of the enemy?”
The lawyer expressed dismay that the people of the riverine areas of the state had not been given the opportunity to govern the state, unlike the counterparts from the upland who ruled for two tenures of eight years.
Source: PUNCH
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Enugu State chapter, has suspended one of its governorship aspirants, Chief Samson Chukwu Nnamani, over alleged anti-party activities and actions considered detrimental to the unity and image of the party ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
According to a detailed report issued by the party on May 22, 2026, the suspension followed a formal petition submitted by Hon. Peter Chibuike Edeh, a former councillor representing Ward 3 Akpugo in Nkanu West Local Government Area.
The petition accused Chief Nnamani of circulating negative publications against fellow PDP governorship aspirant, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, and engaging in activities capable of bringing the party into hatred, disrepute and public contempt contrary to the PDP Constitution 2017 (as amended).
The report stated that the publications were allegedly distributed to notable party stakeholders, including the South East Zonal Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Ahumibe Michael C., and Hon. Obiora Ugwu, among others.
Following receipt of the petition, the PDP Enugu State chapter convened an Expanded Emergency State Working Committee meeting and invited Chief Nnamani to appear before the committee to respond to the allegations.
The party disclosed that an invitation letter dated May 21, 2026, signed by the State Secretary, Hon. Chukwunonye Okereke, was successfully delivered to the aspirant through a courier service company.
However, the committee noted that Chief Nnamani failed to honour the invitation despite evidence of delivery.
After deliberations, the committee concluded that the actions and publications credited to the aspirant were capable of creating internal division and portraying the PDP negatively before the public.
The committee further held that his refusal to appear before the party amounted to disregard for the authority and disciplinary structures of the PDP.
Consequently, the Expanded State Working Committee resolved to suspend Chief Samson Chukwu Nnamani from the party for one month with effect from May 22, 2026, in line with Section 57(3) of the PDP Constitution 2017 (as amended).
The party also announced the inauguration of a seven-man disciplinary committee headed by Barr. Emeka Abah to further investigate the allegations and recommend additional disciplinary measures where necessary.
Reacting to the development, party faithful described the action as a strong signal that the PDP leadership in Enugu State remains committed to discipline, unity and party supremacy.
“The PDP in Enugu State has once again proven that discipline, unity and party supremacy remain non-negotiable. The unanimous suspension of Chief Samson Chukwu Nnamani sends a strong message that no individual interest is greater than the collective vision of the party,” part of the reaction read.
“As 2027 approaches, the PDP stands stronger, united and fully prepared to sanction any member engaging in anti-party activities capable of dividing the party or weakening its structure. Enugu PDP remains focused and organized.”
He insisted that the process was flawed and rejected the result, maintaining that he was the rightful winner of the contest.
According to him, “from records available to him, he won the primary overwhelmingly with a total of 123,000 votes against 5000 votes for his closest rival, Okowa; adding that he has sufficient video evidence to prove it.”
Describing the outcome as fraudulent, Nwoko said: “a political fraud dressed in party colours , alleging strongly that the results were completely manipulated and written the night before the primary.”
He further maintained that his mandate was freely given by party members and cannot be taken away.Politics
Nwoko also cautioned the APC leadership in Delta State against denying him the ticket, warning that such a move could have wider political implications for President Bola Tinubu in the region.
He said any attempt to sideline him would be politically costly, stressing that he remains the key grassroots mobilizer for the party in Delta North.
The disputed primary reportedly produced former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as candidate, a result Nwoko continues to challenge.
The APC Stakeholders of Enugu East Local Government Area have unanimously endorsed Engr. Pst. Beloved Dan Obi-Anike for a second term as Executive Chairman.
At the meeting, Hon. Obinna Mbaeke (former Commissioner) highlighted the chairman’s efforts in fostering peace and inclusiveness across communities in Enugu East, citing his administration’s record of stakeholder engagement and tangible achievements. He moved the motion for Obi-Anike’s return, which was seconded by Hon. Edward Nnaji (former Commissioner).
Nnaji described the administration as marking a “new beginning” for the LGA, referencing ongoing development projects in education, health, and human capital. He commended both the chairman and Gov. Peter Mbah for elevating the profile of Enugu East and stated that a second term would consolidate existing gains while expanding representation through key state appointments—including commissioner and special adviser positions. 
Prof. Bethland Ngwu welcomed the stakeholders’ resolution to support the chairman and acknowledged the backing of the traditional rulers. He also noted that discussions on zoning the chairmanship position were ongoing, and that the committee would make their final report available once concluded.
Hon. Christopher Ugwu addressed the rotational arrangement for the chairmanship across development centres but threw his weight behind the chairman’s re-election bid. Hon. Cornelius Ugwu (former Transition Chairman) said the mayor deserved another term due to his “good works and the peace in our communities.”
Hon. Christopher Ugwu adopted the motion on behalf of Mbulu Iyikwu Development Centre; Hon. Clement Okwor adopted the motion on behalf of Mbulu Jodo Development Centre; Hon. Cornelius Ugwu adopted the motion on behalf of Enugu East Development Centre; while Hon. Mark Mbah adopted the motion on behalf of Enugu East Central Development Centre.
Hon. Chief Clement Okwor, chairman of the committee on rotational chairmanship, said the committee had made considerable progress and confirmed that the state government had been briefed on its work. He also adopted the motion for the executive chairman’s return for a second term.
Elder Damian Ugwu also supported the stakeholders’ position.
The Leader of Council, Hon. Obed Obumneme Eke, called for a voice vote, and the ‘ayes’ had it.
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