The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, on Wednesday, officially handed over the Certificate of Return to Nicholas Ukachukwu, affirming him as the party’s flagbearer for the forthcoming Anambra State governorship election.
The presentation followed the formal ratification of the party’s primary election results by the National Working Committee (NWC). The event, held at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, marked a significant milestone in the party’s preparations for the November 8 governorship poll.
The APC primary election committee, chaired by Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, submitted its final report during the meeting, declaring Ukachukwu the winner with a commanding 1,455 votes. His closest challenger, Valentine Ozigbo, managed only 67 votes, while other aspirants, Edozie Madu and Johnbosco Onunkwo secured 8 and 26 votes respectively.
Dr. Ganduje, while presenting the certificate, praised Governor Otu and his team for conducting what he described as a credible, transparent, and peaceful primary election. He also called on all stakeholders within the party, including aspirants and their supporters, to unite and work collectively in support of Ukachukwu to ensure APC’s success at the polls.
Nicholas Ukachukwu’s emergence as the APC gubernatorial candidate marks a strategic move by the party to strengthen its influence in the Southeast, a region traditionally dominated by opposition parties.
In a separate political development, former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party’s (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, addressed the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday. He reaffirmed the party’s commitment to internal democracy and ideological consistency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi emphasized the need for a bottom-up approach to party organization, urging members to ensure transparency from the ward to the national level. “Let’s do the right thing. Everybody should have the freedom to contest—starting from the ward to local government, state, zonal, and national levels,” he said.
Highlighting the lessons learned from the 2023 elections, Obi stressed that only committed and ideologically aligned members would be allowed to contest under the LP banner moving forward. He said, “We want to build a party that Nigerians can trust—a party that promotes fairness and justice.”
He added that the Labour Party would prioritize fielding credible candidates across all levels, from the State Houses of Assembly to the National Assembly and governorship seats. “Even if we fail, we want to fail doing what’s right. That is the kind of party we are building,” Obi concluded.
As political activities intensify across Nigeria, both the APC and LP appear to be setting the tone for what promises to be a highly competitive electoral season.
