2015 SENATE RACE: ETTA ENANG, NDOMA EGBA, LOKPOBIRI CRASH OUT …MARK, EKWEREMMADU, AKPABIO, SUSWAN EMERGE

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The senatorial primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held across the country yesterday witnessed several upsets, with many bigwigs suffering humiliating defeat.

The following summary of how the primaries went in some states is courtesy ofDaily Sun:

CROSS RIVER

The major upset of the primaries was the crashing out of the race by Ndoma Egba

The Senate leader lost the battle to return to the Red Chamber. In the primaries for Central Senatorial Zone of Cross River held at Ikom Local Government Council Secretariat, Ikom, John Owan Eno polled 2017 votes while Ndoma Egba had 37 votes only.

Ambassador Mark Egbe scored 20 votes to clinch the third position in the tension-soaked race. Announcing the result, the returning officer, Mr. Uko Inaku, said: “By the power conferred on me, I do hereby state that Eno has been declared the winner having polled 276 votes out of 276 votes cast.”

BENUE

Senate President David Mark won the race to represent Benue South after his opponent, Chief Mike Onoja, withdrew from the exercise. Mark is going for a record fifth term. He was elected to the Senate in 1999 and in 2007, he emerged the Senate President and was re-elected to office in 2011.

Governor Gabriel Suswam emerged unopposed for the Benue North East Senatorial District primaries held at the Akume Atongo Stadium, Gboko, as Senator Barnabas Gemade was said to have withdrawn from the race few days before the exercise.

For the Benue North West, Chief Mike Mku picked the ticket.

ENUGU

In the Enugu West Senatorial zone, Ekweremadu won the PDP ticket in the exercise, which held at the Awgu Local Government Headquarters.

Ekweremadu was elected unopposed after Governor Sullivan Chime backed out of the contest following the peace moves initiated by President Goodluck Jonathan. He is going for his fourth tenure at the National Assembly.

In Enugu East, former Chief of Staff to Governor Sullivan Chime, Mrs Ifeoma Nwobodo, who emerged in a parallel primary election, was declared the winner, and defeated five other aspirants, including the incumbent Senator, Gil Nnaji.

In one of the parallel primaries in Enugu North Senatorial zone signed by a returning officer, Raymond Ochioha, Martin Oke scored 184 votes, Okwy Nwodo 46 votes and Chuka Utazi getting 18 votes while four votes were voided.

Meanwhile, in the list obtained from the state party secretariat for the House of Representatives primaries in Enugu, incumbents Stella Ngwu, Kingsley Ebenyi and Toby Okechukwu picked the tickets for the Igbo-Etiti/Uzo Uwani, Enugu East/Isiuzo and Aninri/Awgu/ Oji River constituencies respectively.

Dennis Agbo scored 61 votes to emerge victorious in the contest for the Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Constituency ticket. His closest rival, Simon Atigwe, scored 39 while Ifeanyi Eze came third with seven votes.

Former State Commissioner for Enugu Capital Territory, Ikechukwu Uguwegede, scored 83 votes to beat Vita Abba, who scored 40 to pick the ticket for the Nsukka/Igboeze South constituency.

Former Commissioner for Lands, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ujam, won the ticket for the Nkanu East/Nkanu West constituency ticket. Chime Oji won the contest in Enugu North/Enugu South constituency while that of Udi went to Dennis Amadi, who polled 140 votes to beat incumbent Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi.

AKWA IBOM

Governor Godswill Akpabio, emerged the PDP senatorial candidate for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District after his only known opponent and the incumbent senator for the area, Mr. Aloysius Etok, surprisingly stepped down from the race.

Etok is not the only senator from Akwa Ibom that would not return to the Senate next year. Senator Ita Enang’s attempt to return to the National Assembly where he has been since1999 – three terms in the House of Representatives and a term in the Senate – suffered a humiliating anti-climax as he was roundly beaten to only three votes against 368 scored by the immediate past commissioner for finance in the state, Mr. Bassey Albert Akpan.

NIGER STATE

Also in Niger State, Governor Babangida Aliyu and Senator Zaynab Kure won the primaries of the PDP for Niger East and Niger South districts respectively.

In the result released in Bida for the Niger South Senatorial zone, Zainab Kure defeated the immediate past Niger State chairman of PDP, Abdulrahman Enagi, with 328 to eight votes while Aliyu got 281 votes to clinch the ticket for zone B against 86 votes polled by his rival, Adamu Idris Kuta.

PLATEAU STATE

In Plateau State, Governor Jonah Jang won the Senate ticket of the PDP for Plateau North by polling 273 votes as against 18 votes polled by his opponent.

A total of 291 delegates par­ticipated in the primaries, which held under a peaceful atmosphere.

ANAMBRA

In the primaries for Anambra South Zone conducted inside the main bowl of Ekwulobia Township Stadium, Aguata Council Area of the state, Senator Andy Uba polled 308 votes to beat Chuma Nzeribe and Dr. Obinna Uzoh, who polled 60 and 49 votes respectively, to clinch the ticket.

Chairman of the committee, Mr. Tremie (Jnr.), who returned him as candidate of the party for the Anambra South Senatorial District, commended the delegates for the orderly manner in which they conducted themselves. Former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, and Uche Ekwunife also won the PDP tickets.

BAYELSA

Chairman of Senate Committee on Water Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District lost his re-election bid to the former Chairman of Bayelsa State Scholarship Board, Evang. Foster Ogola.