Immediate past Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, and business man-turned-politician, Dr. Uche Sampson Ogah, today crashed out of the Abia State governorship race as they were roundly thrashed by immediate past Deputy General Manager of Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Aba Zone, Dr. Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, who emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship flagbearer.

Ikpeazu polled 487 out of the 640 valid votes cast at the Abia PDP governorship primary held at the Umuahia Township Stadium to beat seven other contenders. Ogah, the only aspirant from outside Abia South, to which the governorship was zoned by the party, secured 103 votes to place second while Wogu came a distant third with 33 votes.

Former two-time Deputy Governor, Chief Eric Acho Nwakanma, and a legal practitioner, Barrister Friday Nwosu, scored five votes each while the two aspirants from Ukwa East, Chief Marc Wabara and Ambassador Okey Emeuchay, got three votes each.

A former Commissioner for Housing, Chief Iheanacho Okezie Orji, brought up the rear with only one vote. Nine votes were voided.

Like Ikpeazu, Nwakanma, Nwosu, and Orji are all from Obingwa Local Government Area of the state.

Leader of the electoral panel despatched from the PDP national secretariat, Abuja, Dr (Mrs) Angela Mba, who announced the result of the exercise, declared Ikepeazu returned as the winner.

Speaking with journalists, Ikpeazu thanked the delegates for finding him worthy to fly the PDP flag during the 2015 general elections. He promised to embark on reconciliatory visits to his fellow contsetants so that they could run the election as a family.

•Photo shows a cross section of the governorship aspirants seated during the PDP primary election held today in Umuahia.