Anambra: Ezenwafor emerges PDP candidate, Ozigbo rejects APC primary result

An Abuja-based real estate developer, Chief Jude Ezenwafor, has emerged as the flag-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party for the upcoming November 8, 2025, Anambra State governorship election.

Ezenwafor, who was the sole aspirant in the PDP race, was unanimously endorsed by 853 delegates from the 21 local government chapters of the party in the state at the primary held on Tuesday at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre in Awka.

He was the only aspirant to purchase the party’s N40m nomination form.

Although he was the lone contestant, each delegate was issued a ballot paper to write his name, with voting conducted by local government area. National delegates cast their ballots first. In addition to the state delegates, about 14 national delegates were accredited for the election.

The leader of the PDP National Committee, Col. Chijioke Onwubuya (retd.), who presided over  the primary, declared Ezenwafor the winner.

In his acceptance speech, Ezenwafor expressed gratitude to the delegates for their endorsement and pledged to work hard to ensure the PDP wins the November election.

“I thank all the delegates for the massive support and their endorsement. We are going to work hard to ensure the party wins the governorship election,” he said.

Meanwhile, in the All Progressives Congress, Valentine Ozigbo has rejected the outcome of the party’s Saturday governorship primary, describing it as a “charade” and “a theft against Ndi Anambra.”

In the APC primary held on Saturday and Sunday at the same Dora Akunyili Centre, Nicholas Ukachukwu emerged as the winner with 1,455 votes.

Ozigbo came a distant second with 67 votes, while Johnbosco Onunkwo and Edozie Madu scored 26 and eight votes respectively. There were 26 invalid votes.

Reacting to the result, Ozigbo issued a statement on Tuesday, stating that he had filed a formal petition before the APC Governorship Primary Appeals Committee.

He alleged that the process that led to Ukachukwu’s emergence was riddled with fraud, irregularities, and violations of democratic standards.

He cited the use of non-party members on the delegate list, the exclusion and intimidation of genuine APC members, and a vote-counting process lacking transparency.

“Yesterday, I formally submitted a petition to the Appeals Committee of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, challenging the so-called primary election conducted in Anambra on April 5, 2025. That exercise, by all observable standards, was a charade — a well-orchestrated heist designed to deliver a predetermined outcome,” he said.

He continued, “The facts are now public: non-party members populated the delegate list; genuine party faithful were locked out or violently barred from voting; accreditation was either skipped or manipulated; and votes were counted without transparency. This is not just about me. It is about the soul of our democracy.”

Ozigbo reaffirmed his loyalty to the APC but made it clear that he would not compromise on principles. “I will stay the course. I came to be part of a generation that restores integrity to our political system. I will not run to the Senate or seek another office for ambition’s sake. I will stand firm here in the APC and fight this good fight to its just end.”

He added, “Let me be clear: I am not a transactional politician. I seek power to make a difference — to restore dignity, create jobs, secure lives, and light a path for the next generation. The sham of April 5 was not just a fraud against me; it was a theft against Ndi Anambra.”

Calling on the APC to right what he termed a wrong, Ozigbo urged the party to consider the implications for its credibility and the nation’s democratic values.

Ozigbo was one of seven aspirants who purchased the APC’s N50 million nomination form. However, three—Sir Paul Chukwuma, Chukwuma Umeoji, and Prof. Obiora Okonkwo—later withdrew, leaving Ukachukwu, Ozigbo, Johnbosco Onunkwo, and Edozie Madu in the race.

A former PDP governorship candidate and runner-up in the 2021 election, Ozigbo joined the APC in February 2025, citing a desire to reform the party from within and provide transformative leadership for Anambra.

His defection was welcomed by many within the APC, and he quickly began a wave of grassroots engagements across the state, promoting a message of unity, competence, and reform.