Kalu, Atuma, Erondu emerge Abia APC senatorial candidates after Monday primaries

Orji Uzor Kalu, incumbent senator representing Abia North Senatorial Zone, has emerged victorious in the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary election, securing the party’s ticket for the 2027 general election with a landslide victory over his lone challenger, Philip Nto.

The direct primary election, conducted across the five local government areas and 57 wards of Abia North Senatorial District on Monday, witnessed massive participation by party members and stakeholders.

At the end of the exercise, Kalu polled 65,651 votes to defeat Philip Nto, who secured 2,103 votes, giving the former Senate Chief Whip a commanding victory margin of 63,548 votes.

The official results announced at the APC collation centre in Umuahia showed that a total of 72,028 registered voters participated in the exercise, while 69,441 voters were accredited. Total votes cast stood at 67,854.

The primary election was supervised by designated returning officers deployed across the various local government areas in the senatorial district, including Chisom Eneogwe Christopher for Isuikwuato LGA, Chima Okorie for Ohafia LGA, Tony Mezie Nwubani for Bende LGA, Enyioma Ekebuike for Umunneochi LGA, while Wilson Chukwuma Eze coordinated the Arochukwu collation centre.

Announcing the result, Chinedu Kanu, chairman of the Abia North Senatorial National Assembly Primary Election Committee, described the exercise as peaceful, transparent and credible.

For Abia South Senatorial zone, Erondu Uchenna Erondu, the current lawmaker representing Obingwa-West State Constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, emerged as the clear winner.

Erondu secured a decisive victory after sweeping all six local government areas in the district, when the final results were announced today at the APC Abia South Senatorial District Primary Election Collation Centre in Aba, by Emmanuel Agbaeze, the Collation Officer.

According to the collated results, Erondu polled a total of 16,640 votes, comfortably defeating his closest rivals: Nyerere Chinenye Anyim, who scored 5,206 votes, Blessing Nwagba with 4,456 votes, and Paul Ikonne, who polled 4,099 votes.

The victory positions Erondu Jnr as the party’s candidate for the Abia South Senatorial seat in the upcoming general elections.

Also, Emeka Atuma, a former member of the House of Representatives, won the APC senatorial ticket for Abia Central Senatorial zone, defeating Nkechi Nwaogu, a former senator and Sam Onuigbo.

Announcing the result, Thomas Nkoro, the returning officer, said that three aspirants contested in the primaries, namely Nkechi Nwaogu, Sam Onuigbo and Emeka Atuma.

According to the results announced, Nkechi Nwaogu polled 11,451 votes
Sam Onuigbo secured 5,833 votes, while
Emeka Atuma scored 36,935 votes

Nkoro subsequently declared Emeka Atuma the winner of the APC Abia Central Senatorial Primaries.

The exercise and declaration of results were conducted in the presence of representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).