Anambra Labour Party Crisis Deepens as Governorship Aspirant John Nwosu Rejects Factional Primary Result

Labour Party governorship aspirant in Anambra State, John Nwosu, has rejected the result of a primary election held in Awka on Thursday, which produced Jude Umennajiego as the party’s candidate. Umennajiego, a serving member of the State House of Assembly representing Onitsha South 2, emerged winner in a contest organized by a faction of the party.

The primary was held despite a separate one conducted the previous weekend by another faction loyal to the ousted national chairman of the party, Julius Abure, which saw Dr. George Moghalu emerge as the candidate.

In a petition addressed to the Chairman of the Labour Party Primary Election Appeal Committee, Afam Ogene, Nwosu described the Awka election as a sham. He argued that he was the only aspirant qualified to contest, and based on a Supreme Court ruling delivered on April 4, 2025, he should have been declared the candidate.

Nwosu further alleged that Umennajiego was merely acting as a placeholder for an unnamed aspirant who preferred to remain behind the scenes. According to him, the process was manipulated, and his rightful place as the party’s flagbearer was unjustly denied.

He stated, “That process, if due process was followed, ought to have returned me as the winner, being the sole aspirant qualified to stand for the primary election referent to the Supreme Court judgement of the 4th day of April, 2025.”

Nwosu also said he had complied with the party’s requirements by submitting his credentials to the Election Committee, and maintained there was no justifiable reason to replace him. He is now seeking a reversal of the decision and demands that the party forward his name to INEC as the duly elected candidate.