The crisis over the ADC Ebonyi governorship ticket has deepened, with Prof. Ernest Uchenna Ereke claiming that he emerged as the party’s candidate following a replacement primary conducted on September 16, 2026.
Ereke made the claim on Thursday in Abakaliki after meeting with ADC stakeholders and supporters from across Ebonyi State. He said he was awaiting the final list of governorship candidates to be released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Key Highlights
- Prof. Ernest Uchenna Ereke claims he emerged as ADC’s Ebonyi governorship candidate through a September 16 replacement primary.
- Ereke says the exercise followed the withdrawal of the party’s earlier candidate, Mba Ude Collins.
- He says the ADC national leadership notified INEC of the replacement primary.
- The Ebonyi ADC leadership has rejected Ereke’s emergence and said no such primary was authorised or recognised by its state executive.
- The state leadership has reaffirmed Tobias Nnabuike Oriji as the candidate produced through the primary process recognised by its structure.
- ADC’s national list released on September 4 had named Ukpai Mba Udeh as the party’s Ebonyi governorship candidate.
Ereke Explains His Claim
Ereke said the replacement primary followed the withdrawal of the party’s earlier governorship candidate, Mba Ude Collins, who, according to him, formally communicated his decision to withdraw from the race and completed the required affidavit.
He said the party subsequently notified INEC of the vacancy and constituted an electoral committee to conduct a replacement primary.
“Mba Ude Collins willingly wrote that he was no longer interested in the race, and he swore to the necessary affidavits as required by the Electoral Act. He did all of that and informed the party.”
Ereke added that the party subsequently informed INEC of the withdrawal and proceeded with the replacement process.
“The party, of course, informed INEC of the withdrawal of its governorship candidate from the state. And because there is a window within the INEC guideline to replace candidates, the party set up an electoral committee.”
According to Ereke, the ADC national leadership also notified INEC that a replacement governorship primary would be conducted on September 16 following the withdrawal of the previous candidate.
He maintained that his emergence was the outcome of that process, adding that the party had also conducted replacement primaries for some State House of Assembly positions.
“The party at the national level wrote to INEC that we would be conducting a replacement primary to elect another governorship candidate, since Mba Ude Collins already withdrew from the race. And that was what the party did yesterday.”
Ereke Awaits INEC Candidate List
Ereke said he was confident that his name would appear on INEC’s final list of governorship candidates, which he expected to be released later in September.
“I await the release of the final list of governorship candidates, probably on the 28th or 29th of this month. And I assure you that you would find my name there as the potential governorship candidate of the ADC in Ebonyi State for the 2027 general elections,” he said.
He also dismissed reports of competing claims to the ADC governorship ticket, describing the controversy as part of the political activities accompanying the party’s growing presence in Ebonyi State.
Ereke said the claims and counterclaims had not discouraged him or his supporters.
Earlier, he told party stakeholders that the purpose of the meeting was to formally introduce his emergence and begin preparations for the 2027 governorship campaign.
He said the meeting was also intended to bring party leaders together, brief them on developments within the party and begin formulating campaign strategies and messaging ahead of the election.
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Ebonyi ADC Leadership Rejects Ereke
However, the Ebonyi State leadership of the ADC has rejected Ereke’s claim.
The state chairman, Dr Jennifer Adibe, and state secretary, Hon. Mgboroko Chukwudi, said no replacement governorship primary producing Ereke was authorised, conducted or recognised by the state executive committee led by Adibe.
The leadership reaffirmed Tobias Nnabuike Oriji as the governorship candidate produced through the primary process recognised by its structure.
The dispute means that there are competing claims over who should represent the ADC in the Ebonyi governorship election.
ADC Had Earlier Named Ukpai Mba Udeh
The latest dispute also comes against the backdrop of the ADC’s September 4 announcement of governorship and deputy governorship candidates in 28 states.
In the list released by the party’s national leadership, Ukpai Mba Udeh was named as the ADC governorship candidate for Ebonyi State, with Onwe Daniel Ede as his running mate.
The conflicting positions from the party’s national announcement, the Ebonyi state leadership and Ereke have therefore created uncertainty over the ADC’s final Ebonyi ticket.
The final position will depend on the recognised nomination and substitution process and the candidate list published by INEC. INEC has fixed February 6, 2027, for the governorship and State House of Assembly elections in states holding those elections in the 2027 cycle.
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