Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Thousands of supporters of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) from Oyi Local Government Area on Friday, May 29, 2026, stormed the Anambra State Government House, popularly known as the Light House, in Awka to protest the outcome of the party’s House of Assembly primary election for the Oyi State Constituency. The protesters, who carried placards with inscriptions such as “Bring back our popular candidate, Ojicam,” “Mr Governor, do not let this happen in Oyi,” and “Ojicam won the election,” accused party officials of manipulating the results of the May 23 primary and replacing the perceived winner with another aspirant.
Addressing the crowd, the State Auditor of APGA, Uchenna Oraegbunam, who led the protest, insisted that the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Innocent Ojike (popularly known as Ojicam), won the primary with a wide margin and was initially declared winner at the collation centre. According to Oraegbunam, in his own ward, Nteje Ward 4, Ojike polled 179 votes while the other aspirant, Kosisochukwu Ibemesi, got 45 votes. However, two days later, the party released a final list in which Ibemesi was announced as the candidate for the 2026 Anambra State House of Assembly election. “We were all surprised that when the party released the names of candidates that were successful, what we saw was the name of Mr Kosisochukwu Ibemesi,” Oraegbunam said. “This is a surprise to us, and we want anyone who said that Ibemesi won the election to come and prove it.”
The protesters, who marched from the Anambra State House of Assembly through the Dr Alex Ekwueme Square to the Government House, chanted solidarity songs and demanded the restoration of what they called the “authentic mandate” of Ojike. Some protesters alleged that while 230 voters were accredited for the election in their ward, the result later announced gave Ibemesi 425 votes, a figure that exceeded the number of accredited voters. Barr. Innocent Nebechi Ugwo, another stakeholder, alleged that the outcome was a “highly orchestrated electoral fraud” and warned that the people of Oyi would not accept an imposed candidate.
In response, the Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, Dr Okechi Vincent Egbuna, addressed the protesters and assured them that the governor would look into their grievances. He urged the protesters to formally document their complaints in a petition to the governor, the party leadership, and the party’s appeal panel, promising that their demands would be addressed. He also emphasized that Governor Soludo was committed to fairness and justice in all political matters.
The protest reflects the growing discontent trailing APGA’s recently concluded primaries across Anambra State, with several aspirants and support groups alleging irregularities and manipulation in the exercise, while some candidates who emerged victorious have defended the process as transparent and credible.
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