31/05/2026
Oyi LGA Primary: How APGA Electoral Panel Restored Credibility Through Due Process
Official Response on Oyi State Assembly Primary Election
Following public concerns about the credibility of the APGA State Assembly Primary Election in Oyi LGA, the Electoral Committee wishes to clarify the steps taken to uphold transparency and due process.
After the initial declaration, a petition from Mr. Kosisochukwu Ibemesi submitted a different set of ward results. Faced with two conflicting results from the same election, the Electoral Panel acted within its mandate to establish the authentic outcome.
The Panel’s Process:
1. Invited the Returning Officer, Dr. James Nnowaluem, and both aspirants for a review.
2. Conducted a reconstruction of ward results to verify authenticity.
3. Contacted all Electoral Officers deployed to Oyi LGA for confirmation.
4. Relied on 11 of 15 ward results originally collated by the Returning Officer.
4 Wards Reviewed and Collated by the Electoral Committee:
Awkuzu Ward 4 – No result was collated by the Returning Officer (RO) for Awkuzu Ward 4. The Electoral Committee confirmed election held and collated the result signed by the deployed Electoral Officer, verified by the Mayor of Oyi LGA, Hon. Emmanuel Nweke. The breakdown of the correct result is:
Innocent Ojike – 7, Kosisochukwu Ibemesi – 694, Registered members: 718, Accredited members: 701.
Nkwelle Ward 1 – The result originally collated by the RO showed 245 registered members in the ward with 244 Accredited voters. Curiously, only 200 members were registered in Nkwelle Ezunaka ward 1.
This clearly indicated that the result was merely fabricated. The result was also not signed by the deployed officer. The Panel upheld the result signed by Amuche Umebeh Udenka, the deployed Electoral Officer which cleared contained the accurate number of registered members in Nkwelle Ezunaka 1. Breakdown of the correct result is;
Innocent Ojike – 13, Kosisochukwu Ibemesi – 159. Registered members: 200, Accredited members: 179.
Nteje Ward 4 – The result originally collated by the RO was not signed by Electoral officers deployed to conduct the primaries in Nteje Ward 4, namely, Oluchukwu Nnalue and Okeke Thaddeus. Per APGA Electoral Guidelines for 2026, the Electoral Committee accepted the correct result signed by Oluchukwu Nnalue B. The breakdown of the correct result is:
Innocent Ojike – 95, Kosisochukwu Ibemesi – 425.
Registered members: 580, Accredited members: 520.
Nteje Ward 5 – The result originally collated by the RO was not signed by the Electoral Officer deployed to conduct the primary election in the ward. The Electoral Committee thus rejected the fake result, confirmed that election held and collated the result signed by deployed Electoral Officers Peter Ọgụgụan and Okeke Rosemary as confirmed by the Mayor.
The breakdown of the collated result for Nteje Ward 5 is; Innocent Ojike – 90, Kosisochukwu Ibemesi – 428, Registered members: 580, Accredited members: 518.
Conclusion:
The Electoral Committee’s final result was reached through scrutiny, verification with deployed officers, and strict adherence to APGA Electoral Guidelines for 2026. The process was transparent, impartial, and aimed solely at reflecting the true will of APGA members in Oyi LGA.
We remain committed to credible internal democracy and urge all party faithful to support the flagbearer as we prepare for the general elections.
Signed
Mazi Ejimofor Opara
National Publicity Secretary, APGA
