The former Chief Executive Officer of SunTrust Bank, Alhaji Jibrin Barde, has emerged governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 general election in Gombe State.

Also, former Vice Chancellor of the Abia State University, Uturu, Prof. Uche Ikonne, emerged the governorship candidate of the PDP in Abia State.

Barde polled 160 votes to defeat five other aspirants in the primary election held on Wednesday in Gombe.

Announcing the results, Mike Oghiadomhe, the PDP Returning Officer for the PDP governorship primaries in the state, said Jamil Gwamna scored 119 votes, Dr. Ali Gombe got 17 votes, Adamu Suleiman 18 votes, Gimba Ya’u one vote and Babayo Ardo scored 13 votes.

He said that the total votes cast in the election was 328.

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In his acceptance speech, Barde said that he would work with all the contestants to ensure the PDP win election to provide good governance to people of the state.

Barde, a first runner up in the 2019 All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primary in the state, decamped to the PDP in February 2021.

In Abia, Ikonne was elected at the party’s primary election held at the Umuahia Township Stadium on Wednesday.
He polled 468 votes to defeat five other contestants in the exercise that took place under heavy presence of security personnel.

Mr. Lucky Igbokwe came a distant second with 45 votes, while the only female contestant, Mrs. Ngozi Merenge, scored five votes.
Other contestants, including Deputy Governor Ude Oko-Chukwu, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, Sen. Emma Nwaka, had earlier announced their withdrawal from the race.

They were however credited with six, five and four votes, respectively.
Also, Prof. Greg Ibe, who formally defected to the All Progressives Grand Alliance on April 17, was also credited with two votes.
Other aspirants that withdrew from the race were Chief Ncheta Omerekpe, Mr Enyinnaya Nwafor and Mr Chima Anyaso.
However, they were credited with three, four and five votes, respectively.
The Chairman of the Primary Election Committee and former Governor Ayo Fayose thanked the delegates for their peaceful conduct during the exercise.
In an acceptance speech, Ikonne expressed gratitude to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and PDP for believing in him.

The Star