A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party elected Hon Dona Nwogbo as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Enugu State on Thursday, following primary elections that included contests for national and state assembly positions.
Dr. Yarima Idachaba, the returning officer who announced the results, said the primaries took place without violence. The State Chairman, Hon. Steve Oruruo, described the exercise as "glamorous" and said it reflected the quality of leadership the party wanted to present to voters.
Oruruo explained that the primary was the final collation of direct primaries held across wards throughout the state. He said the process unfolded without rancour, quarrel or skirmishes, emphasising that the quality of leadership recruitment directly determines the quality of governance. "The warped value and poor leadership threat that we have witnessed over the years are just mere products of bad primaries of parties," he said.
The party chairman also addressed claims of internal crisis in Enugu's PDP structure. He said the state had never experienced crisis within the party and cited court judgments to support the legitimacy of the current leadership structure. According to Oruruo, a high court judgment that has never been vacated, followed by a Supreme Court ruling, established that the Board of Trustees led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara controls the PDP.
"The Supreme Court nailed it in the final judgement and clearly made it very visible that it is the BOT led by former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara that controls the PDP," Oruruo said. He added that this leadership had appointed party officials at the national level to oversee processes in the party, and that any process contrary to the Supreme Court's position would be "null and void and of no effect."
The primary elections also produced candidates for national and state assembly positions, though those names were not specified in the announcement. Oruruo's emphasis on court-backed legitimacy suggested attempts to settle ongoing disputes within the party over its authentic leadership structure.
