Industrialist and Chancellor of Gregory University Uturu, Professor Greg Ibe, has emerged the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) for the 2023 poll in Abia.
The Professor of Entrepreneur secured 283 out of the 482 total votes cast at the primaries held Sunday at Kolping Society, Umuahia.
Etigwe Uwa, SAN came second with 148 votes while Gen. Ijioma N Ijioma (retd), came third with 36 votes.
Chief Chikwe Udensi came last with only 12 votes while three votes were voided.
The Chairman of the Electoral Committee and Returning Officer, Echezona Etiaba announced Ibe the winner of the contest.
In his acceptance speech, Ibe thanked the delegates and his co-contestants for their peaceful conduct and comportment.
He described his emergence as the beginning of Abia liberation movement.
Professor Ibe particularly thanked his co-contestants who he described as his personal friends, promising to carry them along while soliciting their support for total victory in 2023.
Professor Ibe promised to rebuild Abia and make it a model state in the country, adding that he will collaborate with the Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo to rebuild Ala Igbo.
He gave quit notice to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the main opposition All Progressive Congress, APC, accusing them of responsibility for the misgovernance in the state.
” In 2023, there will be no APC, no PDP in the state”, Ibe vowed, saying that APGA will take over Abia in 2023.
Meanwhile, Etigwe Uwa had a handshake with Professor Ibe, Gen. Ijioma said he would not accept the result of the primaries, arguing that there is no way he could have secured only 36 vote.
The exercise was generally peaceful and witnessed by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC; and security agencies.
However, Udensi who was at the venue of the primaries stormed out before the commencement of voting.
There were also social media reports midway into the exercise that Udensi had emerged winner, but the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Etiaba had earlier in an interview with Vanguard, dismissed it as fake and misleading.
He said there was no way anybody could declare himself winner of an exercise that was on-going.
