APGA Primary: Awka North Stakeholders Reject Results, Demand Rerun

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Awka North Local Government Area have rejected the outcome of the party’s primary election for the Awka North State Constituency seat and called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to order a rerun.
The stakeholders, comprising ward chairmen, secretaries, women leaders, and youth leaders across the local government, described the exercise as fraudulent and lacking credibility.

They specifically rejected the declaration of Emmanuel Ekegbue as the winner of the APGA primary for the State House of Assembly ticket.
Results of the primary election already circulating on social media indicated that the incumbent lawmaker, Chimezie Ikwunne, scored 1,633 votes, while Emmanuel Ekegbue polled 4,721 votes and was subsequently declared the winner.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the party executives in the area, the APGA Local Government Chairman, James Onwuka, insisted that Ikwunne remained the preferred candidate of party members in Awka North and was overwhelmingly supported during the exercise.
Onwuka alleged that the electoral process was hijacked in several communities, leading to the manipulation and submission of results from areas where voting allegedly never took place.
He listed wards and communities where he claimed elections did not hold despite the announcement of results to include Ugbenu, Awba Ofemili, Amansea, Mgbakwu, Amanuke, among others.
According to him, the outcome of the primary could not reflect the true wishes of party members, arguing that the declared winner lacked grassroots acceptance and political visibility within the constituency.
He warned that imposing an unpopular candidate on the electorate could jeopardize APGA’s chances in future elections, particularly the 2027 general elections.
“We, the entire people of Awka North, appeal to Mr Governor and the leadership of the party to ensure justice is done because the incumbent member has represented the constituency well,” Onwuka said.
“If the party decides not to return him for a second term automatically, then another electoral panel should be constituted to conduct a fresh and credible rerun election in the affected wards.”
He further challenged the authenticity of the results credited to Ekegbue, insisting that a transparent rerun would expose what he described as fabricated figures.
“If a rerun is conducted in the affected wards and the candidate who was allocated over 4,000 votes secures even 40 percent of the votes genuinely cast, we will all resign for misleading the governor,” he added.
“The individual declared winner is neither popular among party members nor politically known across Awka North.”
Onwuka also urged the party leadership to overhaul the conduct of future primaries in the area by replacing the returning officers and ensuring that election materials are distributed by non-indigenes to guarantee transparency and fairness.
“The rerun has become necessary to restore confidence in the party’s internal democratic process and to prevent party members from becoming disillusioned ahead of future elections,” he stated.
“We are the grassroots structure and hierarchy of the party in Awka North. Present here are chairmen and secretaries from all the 14 wards, including women and youth leaders.”
Efforts to reach the incumbent lawmaker, Chimezie Ikwunne, for comments on the controversy were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
However, a senior party source disclosed that the lawmaker had already submitted a petition to the party’s appeal panel challenging the declaration of Emmanuel Ekegbue as the winner of the primary election.