OHAJI-EGBEMA/OGUTA/ORU-FEDERAL 2027: Uju Named APP Candidate
-Apostle Ebirim, Constituents Celebrate Uju's Entrance
E-ISSN: 2354-4481
By Rita Onuoha
The 2027 general elections in the Ohaji-Egbema/Oguta/Oru Federal Constituency have taken a new turn following the emergence of Hon. Engr. Kingsley Chima Uju as the candidate of the Action Peoples Party (APP) for the House of Representatives election.
Uju, a former member of the House of Representatives who represented the constituency during the Ninth Assembly, will contest the 2027 election against the incumbent representative, Hon. Engr. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu.
The development followed the publication by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the final list of candidates for the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections. INEC released the National Assembly final candidate lists on September 13, 2026, with 3,213 candidates listed for the House of Representatives and 1,195 for the Senate.
The publication is pursuant to Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which requires INEC to publish the names and addresses of candidates standing nominated at least 150 days before an election. INEC's constitutional mandate to organise elections derives from the 1999 Constitution, including Part I of the Third Schedule, while the Electoral Act provides the statutory framework for candidate nomination and publication.
Reacting to the development, the APP candidate for the Oguta State Constituency, Apostle David Lemchi Ebirim, praised Uju for choosing the APP platform and described his emergence as an opportunity for the constituency.
“Today is a good day. I am very happy about the news and if your eyes are down, you can as well see it on the lips of the people. Everyone is happy that Omeudo is on the ballot. This is a joyous news for the people of this Federal Constituency.
“What we are seeing under the APC led administration is a landlock of political representation. Everything is caged. Except you are not in this country. Our Federal constituency is under siege, and we thank God that Omeudo has come to liberate the people, and that is the good news.
“I am from Agwa, I want to start from there. Has the people of Agwa fare better under this very present Representatives? During Omeudo's first outing, Agwa people can tell you want he did. We celebrate this development and there is no controversy about it. The people of Ohaji-Egbema/Oguta/Oru-Federal Constituency have taken their position to vote for Omeudo I of Niger Delta, and on that decision we stand,” Ebirim said.
Evangelist Meshack Eberendu also celebrated Uju's inclusion on the INEC list, recalling his representation during the Ninth Assembly and his interactions with religious and community groups.
“Yes, I just read it on the news that Omeudo is on the ballot under the Action Peoples Party (APP). As a person and someone who fear God. His communication with the Christian community during his tenure, was very key in shaping community opinions and development. Don't undermine the importance of peace and communication in development. Omeudo's four year tenure as our Representative, was marked by peace. He maintained quality relationships virtually to all the segments of the people and empowered many. So I am happy and I and my entire families and relatives, shall vote for him,” he said.
Mrs. Julian Uche also expressed support for Uju's return to the contest.
“Uju is a good man. He love Agwa people and did well when he representative us. And I believed he won the 2023 elections but was short-changed. That is now history, but the present matters because the people still love him and wants him back,” she said.
For Ezenwa Peter Chimezie, Uju's emergence has widened the choices available to voters.
According to the INEC list, other candidates in the federal constituency include Engr. Uche Peters of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Comr. Onyekwulisi FBI of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), among others.
While Ebirim described Uju's emergence as a “Rescue Mission,” the various candidates and political parties are expected to present their programmes and campaign messages to voters as the election approaches.
INEC's published timetable places the Presidential and National Assembly elections on January 16, 2027.
Legal clarification: Ebirim's statement that no name can subsequently be added to the INEC portal except by a court order is broader than Section 32 itself. The Electoral Act provides for candidate-list publication, while INEC has previously amended published candidate lists pursuant to court orders and other legally recognised circumstances.
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