The demonstrators, drawn largely from Oyi Local Government Area, gathered with placards and marched through key locations in Awka, including the vicinity of the State House of Assembly and Dr Alex Ekwueme Square, before arriving at the Government House, also referred to locally as Light House.
At the centre of the dispute is the APGA primary held last Saturday, where party stakeholders say results were initially declared in favour of Hon. Innocent Ojike, popularly known as “Ojicam.” However, the final list released by the party reportedly featured Kosisochukwu Ibemesi as the nominated candidate for the constituency.
Protesters argue that the change does not reflect the outcome announced at the polling level. They called for a review of the process and demanded clarification from party authorities, insisting that the original declaration should stand.
Speaking during the demonstration, APGA’s State Auditor, Uchenna Oraegbunam, said participants were seeking the attention of Governor Chukwuma Soludo over what they described as inconsistencies in the constituency primary. He maintained that Ojike had widespread support and was initially announced as the winner, adding that the emergence of another name on the party’s final list was unexpected.
Placards carried by the protesters included messages rejecting the announced candidate and urging the state government to intervene in the party’s internal process. The march ended at the Government House, where the group continued its protest before engaging with officials.
Responding on behalf of the governor, Deputy Chief of Staff Dr Okechi Vincent Egbuna addressed the crowd and assured them that their concerns would be reviewed. He advised the protesters to submit a written petition detailing their complaints and forward copies to the party leadership and relevant appeal structures for consideration.
