Yul Edochie emerges DPC flagbearer for gubernatorial race

Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie, was elected as the primary candidate of the Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC) to contest for the Anambra gubernatorial election on November 18, 2017.

The 35-year-old was elected unopposed in the exercise that took place in Awka, Anambra state on Thursday, August 30.

The exercise was conducted and supervised by party executives led by the national chairman of the party, Olusegun Peters, with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also present for monitoring.

Reacting to his victory, Edochie promised to open the doors for better participation of Nigerian youths in politics, and promised to clean up the image of the state.

He said, "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Some people may say they do not know me in politics, (even) having made a name for himself in Nollywood, but, if the state is in a bad shape, it is celebrities who should speak out. I need the support of the people of the state to make it work in Anambra state.

"My ambition is driven by the ineffective leadership style of those entrusted with the leadership of the state. Since the creation of Anambra State, it has been in the news for the wrong reasons.

"In all, the youths have been at the receiving end of the political tussle. The older generation of leaders recruit youths, arm them with weapons to actualise their political goals and abandon (them) when elections are won. But when I take over as governor, youths will take their rightful position as leaders of the future."

Other candidates that have won their party's primaries to contest for the state's gubernatorial seat are Mrs Oby Okafor of the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), Chief Sam Oraegbunam of Hope Democratic Party (HDP) and Dr Stephen Mbah of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).