The Emmanuel Ndukwe-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia on Sunday held its governorship primaries in the 184 wards in the state.

Conversely, the Donatus Nwamkpa-led faction, which shifted its own primaries from Saturday to Sunday, had been bogged down by internal disagreement, arising from the alleged discrepancies in the register of members approved by the party’s national secretariat for the exercise.

At a meeting for all the aspirants held at the party’s secretariat in Umuahia on Saturday, it was disclosed that the register did not contain the names of prominent members, including the party leader and former Gov. Orji Kalu.

Also, the register allegedly omitted Ohafia Local Government Area of the state as well as some wards in Bende and Umunneochi council areas.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that Sunday’s meeting of the party’s stakeholders and aspirants held in Umuahia to take a final decision on the controversial register ended in a deadlock.

Nwankpa, however, told newsmen that the meeting was continuing and that the governorship primaries would take place on Monday.

Meanwhile, a frontline governorhip aspirant on the platform of the party, Chief Ikechi Emenike, has described the primaries by the Ndukwe-led faction as `peaceful and successful’.

Emenike expressed joy that the exercise recorded a large turnout of members across the 17 local government areas of the state.

He said in an interview with newsmen at his Umukabia Okpuala country home that the exercise was conducted according to the party’s guidelines.

The aspirant described Ndukwe-led faction as the authentic APC in the state.

He said that an interlocutory order by a state High Court sitting at Isialangwa sacked the Nwankpa leadership on June 28.

Emenike said that the order had yet to be vacated by any court of competent jurisdiction and described the activities of Nwankpa’s faction as `a voyage in illegality’.

NAN correspondent, who monitored the exercise at Umukabia Central Primary School in Nkwoegwu Ward, Umuahia North LGA, reports that the exercise started at about 11 a.m. and ended at about 4 p.m.

Mr Somadila Uzodinma, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee for the primaries in the area told newsmen that they adopted direct primaries as directed by the party’s national leadership.

Uzodinma further said that all the card carrying members of the party from the 12 wards that make up the local government area converged on the venue for the exercise.

He said that the exercise was peaceful and thanked all the party members for being orderly and peaceful throughout the exercise.