APC Gears Up for Anambra Governorship Race as PDP Struggles to Sell Forms

By Emmanuel Kwada

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to take a significant step toward selecting its candidate for the 2025 Anambra State governorship election, with screenings for its seven aspirants scheduled for Friday, March 7, and Saturday, March 8, at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is grappling with a lack of interest, as its nomination forms remain unsold just days before the extended deadline.

The APC’s screening exercise, taking place at the NWC Hall on 40 Blantyre Street, Wuse II, will see aspirants including Sir Paul Chukwuma, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, Nicholas Ukachukwu, Chukwuma Umeoji, Valentine Ozigbo, Johnbosco Onunkwo, and Edozie Madu face a panel to determine their eligibility ahead of the party’s primary election on April 5.

This is a highly competitive race, and the APC is pulling out all the stops to field a strong candidate

The process follows the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms, which raked in N350 million for the party, with each aspirant paying N50 million. Female candidates and persons with disabilities were offered discounted rates, while young aspirants aged 25 to 40 received a 50% reduction on nomination fees.

A party insider described the screening as a crucial moment in the APC’s bid to wrest control of Anambra from the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

“This is a highly competitive race, and the APC is pulling out all the stops to field a strong candidate,” the source said. The party has opted for an indirect primary mode, a decision confirmed by National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru, dispelling earlier speculation of a direct primary.

In stark contrast, the PDP is facing an uphill battle in Anambra. Despite setting the price for its nomination and expression of interest forms at N40 million (N35 million for nomination and N5 million for expression of interest), no aspirant has stepped forward to purchase them.

The party had initially set a submission deadline of March 7, but with forms still unsold, the National Working Committee (NWC) extended it to March 10 in a last-ditch effort to attract candidates. A stakeholders’ meeting is slated for the same day at the PDP’s Wadata Plaza headquarters to address the crisis.

The factional struggles and unresolved congress issues have scared off aspirants

Party insiders attribute the lack of interest to ongoing internal disputes and a loss of confidence in the PDP’s electoral prospects in Anambra. “The factional struggles and unresolved congress issues have scared off aspirants,” said a senior PDP official, speaking anonymously.

“Why spend N40 million when the party’s house is in disarray?” The defection of prominent figures like Val Ozigbo, now an APC aspirant, to rival parties has further weakened the PDP’s standing in the state.

As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares for the Anambra governorship election on November 8, 2025, the contrasting fortunes of the APC and PDP highlight the shifting political landscape in the southeastern state.

While the APC moves confidently toward its primaries, the PDP’s inability to rally aspirants raises questions about its relevance in a race increasingly dominated by APGA and an emboldened APC.