Dumebi Kachikwu, has won the presidential primary election of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
www.bigpenngr.com reports that Dumebi, a media mogul and Chief Executive Officer of Roots Television, is the younger brother of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu.
According to Daily Sun, the presidential primary and the national convention of the party held in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, saw Kachikwu defeating other aspirants including the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, to emerge as ADC’s presidential flag bearer in 2023.
Kachikwu had polled 977 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Moghalu, who polled 589 votes, at the exercise observed by the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the national executive committee of the party and security agencies.
Other aspirants in the contest included a person with special needs, Dr Chike Okogwu, who stepped down before the primary election, Dr Chukwuka Monye, who got 339 votes, while Princess Chichi Ojei polled 72 votes.
Mrs Johnson Angela, George Oforkansi, Lamido Muhammad Bashir and Ebiti Ndok-Jegede polled 1, 2, 2 and 5 votes respectively.
2,040 delegates were accredited and participated in the presidential primary election held within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta.
The National Chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu, in his welcome address, lamented that the country had gone from being strong to almost being irrelevant due to the leadership failure of the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
Nwosu said the party was aiming to produce seventy-five per cent of the lawmakers both at the state and federal levels.
He added that the lawmakers would make quality laws that will benefit Nigerians and not the few.
In his acceptance speech, Kachikwu promised to run an all-inclusive government, and attract the best brains in various spheres of human endeavours to make the country great again.
He identified 20 areas he would make a substantial difference in the lives of Nigerians and the country if elected.
The Delta State-born politician, who said he was on a ‘’rescue mission’’ to salvage what the APC had destroyed in the last seven years, promised to initiate wide-ranging public service reforms to eradicate corruption and win the war against terrorism.
Kachikwu also promised to create equal opportunities for men and women and an improved welfare package for teachers and initiate a technology-driven education and healthcare system to stop medical and education tourism abroad.
He promised to “secure Nigeria and the lives and properties of Nigerians in the North, South, East, and West of our country if I emerge in 2023.”
The ADC presidential candidate pledged to eliminate corruption by ensuring that Nigerian workers were paid better salaries, build modern cities with decent amenities, world-class health facilities, and accessible and affordable internet services across the country.
The convention’s committee chairman, Major-General Ekundayo Opaleye (retd), who announced the result, enjoined all other aspirants to work in harmony with the elected candidate.