Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu has won the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the upcoming Anambra State governorship election.
Ukachukwu secured 1,455 votes in a contest that lasted through the night and concluded at 4:19 am on Sunday.
His closest rival, Valentine Ozigbo, received just 67 votes. Johnbosco Onunkwo got 26, while Edozie Madu scored 8. Twenty-seven votes were declared invalid.
The results were announced by the APC returning officer and Governor of Cross River State, Bassey Otu, who described Ukachukwu as “the lion of APC in Anambra State.”
Otu declared, “By the power conferred on me as the chief returning officer, I hereby declare him the winner of the APC primaries in Anambra state.”
In his victory speech, Ukachukwu thanked President Bola Tinubu for giving the APC in Anambra the platform to vote which, according to him, was the first in Anambra’s history without writing the result.
Ukachukwu also called for unity within the party ahead of the state general election on November 8, where he will challenge incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
“It is not a journey, but beginning of journey. All of us have to come together as one family for this journey. It is not going to be easy fighting the incumbent, but with a united house, everything is possible with the help of God,” Ukachukwu said.
“We should close ranks and deliver Anambra to APC come November 8 and I promise not to disappoint you.”