Former SSG and retired diplomat, Dr. Oseloka Henry Obaze on Monday, clinched the PDP ticket for the November 18 Anambra State governorship election. In the results announced by Chairman of the party gubernatorial primaries committee, Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, Obaze pulled 672 votes out of a total of 956 valid votes cast at the primary election.
Other contenders on the ballot, Dr, Alexander Obiogbolu and oil mogul, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah polled 190 and 94 votes to trail the winner.
Shortly after the winner was declared, Ifeanyi Ubah protested the outcome which he alleged was manipulated to ensure a pre-determined winner. According to him, the delegates list was handed aspirants on Saturday which did not allow them time to study the list.
He further claimed that despite the late transmission of the list, the primary committee had gone ahead to use a totally different list for the election.
“This is the impunity people are talking about,” he fumed.
“I want the committee to show us the list they used in conducting this primary election,” Uba asked.
The aggrieved contestant was cut short by Governor Umahi who abruptly closed the day’s proceedings and prompted party faithful's to depart the venue, leaving an obviously disappointed Ubah stranded.
PDP’s flagbearer for the Guber polls, Obaze, was SSG in the State between 2012 to 2015. He was first appointed by former governor Peter Obi and then retained by incumbent governor Winnie Obiano.
Obaze then voluntarily resigned a little over a year into Obiano’s tenure in June 2015, apparently in a bid to follow his own governorship ambition. He had contested the APGA primaries against Obiano in 2013.
