A Methodist clergy, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, has been nominated as the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Abia State chapter with total votes of 330.
Bishop Onuoha beat his closest rival and son of Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, a onetime Chief of General Staff (Vice President) under Military President Ibrahim Babangida government, Otusi Ebitu Ukiwe, who had 160 votes, with 20 votes voided.
However, supporters of the Ukiwe described the nomination of Onuoha as a charade, accusing the leadership of the party of manipulating the process to give the Bishop an underserved victory.
Ukiwe’s chief agent and chieftain of ADC in the state, Mr Robert Onuoha, alleged that the Returning Officer for the Primary Election, Mr Nkem Ukandu and State Chairman of the party, Mr Obinna Don Norman, abandoned the original delegates list from the national headquarters and conducted the Primary with the one they claimed was acceptable to them, pointing that “in this list, a lot people who are mainly people living with disability and sympathetic to Onuoha, were allowed to vote.
“These disable persons are not members of our party, but they were allowed to vote en masse. Even our members from Ohafia, Aba North, Aba South etc were presented from voting. We’ll definitely challenge this charade in court”, Onuoha told newsmen.
However, the Returning, Ukandu who declared the result in the presence of monitors from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agents, said the election was transparent, peaceful and rancor free.
In his acceptance speech, Bishop Onuoha, who is also the proprietor of Vision Africa Radio in Umuahia, thanked the delegates and party faithful for nominating him as their gubernatorial candidate for the 2023 election, adding that his election to fly the party’s flag will mark a new beginning in Abia State.
He commended the “spirit of sportsmanship exhibited by my younger brother, Otusi Ebitu Ukiwe” and extended his hand of fellowship to the younger Ukiwe, saying that with his cooperation, the party will realize its aim in the 2023 elections.
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
