By-election: Ex-PDP State Chairman, Onu, emerges Ebonyi South Senatorial candidate

Chief Silas Onu, former Ebonyi State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has emerged winner of the party’s primary bye-election ahead of the Ebonyi South Senatorial zone election on Feb. 3.

The election, held on Monday at the zonal party secretariat at Afikpo in Afikpo North Local Government Area, was to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Dave Umahi, former Senate Majority Leader, who was appointed Minister of Works by President Bola Tinubu.

Onu polled a total of 143 votes to defeat his only opponent, Sen. Amah Nnachi, who scored zero votes in the election.

The PDP Primary bye-election committee led by Mr Lekan Rotimi election adjudged the election as credible, free and fair.

Rotimi, who declared the result after the voting, noted that the exercise complied with the party’s laid down guidelines and extant electoral law.

“Chief Silas Onu having complied with the relevant electoral law and the PDP primary election guideline and having won the majority lawful votes is hereby declared the winner and returned elected as the PDP candidate for the Ebonyi South Senatorial district.

“A total of 144 delegates were accredited to vote in the election, with one invalid vote recorded,” he said.

Rotimi said that relevant security agencies including the Department of State Security (DSS), Police, Civil Defence and army, as well as officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), monitored the election.

He also dismissed allegations of parallel primary election in any part of the zone saying that his committee remained the only committee mandated by the national party secretariat to conduct the election in the zone.

“I’m not aware of any other congress going on anywhere, like I said, I have told you my name and my committee members and we are the only people sent to conduct the election from Abuja,” he added.

Meanwhile, Onu in an acceptance speech, thanked the delegates and party members from the Ebonyi South Senatorial zone for entrusting him with their mandate promising to deliver at the main election.

“We do not have a divided house; you see what happened here today; the election was held peacefully, sadly, one of the local government areas delegates didn’t participate though every arrangement was made for all delegates to be here.

” We still thank God. Delegates from the Four local government areas out of five LGAs participated and God has favoured us.

“We have work to do, we have less than three weeks to the election and what we need to do is to put our house in order and we have no option than to win this senatorial election and together we will,” Onu said.