The African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Ebonyi State has declared Mr Oriji Tobias Nnabuike as the winner of its governorship primary election ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Coordinator of Electoral Matters and State Returning Officer for the exercise, Mr. Bassie Umoke, announced the result shortly after the conclusion of the primary held at the party’s state office along Old Enugu Road in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
Umoke disclosed that Nnabuike secured a total of 6,400 votes to emerge victorious in the governorship contest conducted across the 171 wards of the state.
He further revealed that 6,730 party members were accredited across the 13 local government areas of Ebonyi State, while 6,400 delegates eventually participated in the voting exercise.
According to him, the election was conducted at the ward level in compliance with directives from the national leadership of the party, adding that the process followed due electoral procedures from the ward level to the final collation stage.
He explained that results from the wards were first transmitted to constituency collation centres before moving to local government collation centres and subsequently to the state collation centre for final declaration.
Umoke noted that the detailed process accounted for the time taken to conclude the exercise, stressing that the party was determined to ensure transparency and credibility throughout the primaries.
The returning officer further stated that the ADC adopted an electronic membership register for the exercise to eliminate irregularities commonly associated with conventional party primaries and to ensure that all figures announced were verifiable.
“We want to change the narrative and make Nigeria workable. What you see here is verifiable because we used an electronic register. Every registered member automatically becomes a delegate for congresses and primaries,” Umoke stated.
Meanwhile, the Ebonyi State Chairman of the ADC, Dr. Jennifer Adibe, described the primary elections as peaceful, transparent, and successful across the state.
She disclosed that the party had successfully produced candidates for the State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, and Senate seats ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adibe explained that while some positions were filled through consensus arrangements, others were decided through direct primaries depending on the number of aspirants contesting the positions.
She dismissed concerns over insecurity during the exercise, noting that security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), adequately monitored the conduct of the primaries across the state.
The ADC chairman expressed optimism that the party would emerge as a formidable political force capable of challenging dominant political parties in Ebonyi State during the 2027 elections.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Ebonyi State Primary Election Committee, Dr. Pascale Okafor, commended party members for maintaining peace and order throughout the exercise.
He described the primaries as orderly, rancour-free, and conducted in strict compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Similarly, the Deputy National Auditor of the ADC and Secretary of the Electoral Committee in Ebonyi State, Princess Nneka Nnebu, applauded the turnout of party officials and delegates during the exercise, noting that no major challenge was recorded throughout the conduct of the primaries.
