Victor EzejaThe All Progressives Congress (APC) delegates have elected Nicholas Ukachukwu as the candidate of the party to run for governor of Anambra State on 8 November 2025.
Ukachukwu won by a landslide in the primary election that was conducted on Saturday, 5 April 2025, defeating his closest rival, Valentine Ozigbo, according to the results declared by Senator Bassey Otu, the governor of Cross River State and the chairman of the APC Primary Election Committee for the Anambra State.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelUkachukwu scored 1,455 votes, while Ozigbo got 67 votes. Others in the race, Johnbosco Onunkwo received 26 votes, Edozie Madu received eight votes.
In his acceptance speech, Ukachukwu expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for making sure the intraparty election process was hitch-free, transparent and credible.
Additionally, he hailed Otu and his team, the APC National Working Committee, his fellow candidates, and all delegates for their contributions to the success of the exercise.
He called on fellow contestants in the primary to unite and work for the party to win the governorship election in Anambra State.
“The most important thing now is to deliver Anambra to the APC,” Ukachukwu emphasised.
Reflecting on his past activities in politics, especially in Anambra State, Ukachukwu claimed that he had played significant roles in the emergence of successive governors in the state over the years.
He promised not to let party members or the people of Anambra down as he gets ready to contest the governorship seat with the current Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
READ ALSO: Soludo Thanks APGA Delegates, Returns Unopposed As Guber Candidate
Ukachukwu, a former lawmaker who represented Abuja Municipal/Bwari Federal Constituency from 1999 to 2003, had contested for governorship of Anambra State in 2007, 2010, and 2017 under different political parties.
The business leader boasted that he had been a godfather and had decided this time to be the father himself, signalling his resolve to engage in a keen contest to win the number seat in the state.
Three Aspirants – Sir Paul Chukwuma, Hon. Chuma Umeoji, and Prof. Okonkwo Withdrew
Hours before the APC primary election, three aspirants withdrew from the race. While Sir Paul Chukwuma, who was a frontline aspirant, withdrew and also resigned his membership of the APC, Chuma Umeoji and Professor Obiora Okonkwo simply withdrew from the race.
Chukwuma cited the existence of some unprogressive elements within the party as a reason for his withdrawal and resignation from the party.
On his part, Okonkwo said he had carefully examined activities leading to the APC primary and discovered some developments that were inconsistent with his principles and values. He added that the project is not worth risking the lives of his supporters, apparently referring to possible violence.
The APC governorship primary election scheduled to take place at Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre, beginning at 9 am, did not commence until Saturday night. The process was concluded on Sunday morning.
Prime Business Africa gathered that party officials conducting the exercise had challenges with the accreditation of delegates, which took place at undisclosed hotels in Awka on Saturday.
Sources said there were some skirmishes at some points during accreditation of delegates as thugs hired by one of the contestants attempted to hijack the process.
Moghalu Emerges LP Guber Candidate
Meanwhile, a former Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Dr. George Moghalu, has emerged as the candidate of Labour Party (LP) for the governorship election.
The LP primary election for Anambra was also conducted on Saturday in Awka.
Another aspirant, John Chuma Nwosu, who issued a statement on Friday, announcing his withdrawal from the LP primary election, however, received a total of 573 delegate votes.
Speaking during his acceptance speech, Moghalu, who noted that defeating an incumbent governor is not a walkover, however, expressed optimism that it is possible.
He promised not to betray the confidence bestowed on him by the party members and the entire people of the state.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
