Governor Hope Uzodimma has dropped his deputy, Prof Placid Njoku, ahead of the November 11 governorship election in the state.
In the list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the list showed that Uzodimma has dropped Placid for a female deputy governorship candidate, Mrs. Ekemaru Chinyere Ihuoma.
The list also included the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Samuel Anyanwu, who chose a former House of Representatives member, Jones Onyeriri, as his deputy.
The Labour Party has Senator Athan Achonu as its governorship candidate with a former Reps member, Tony Nwulu, as his deputy.
Analysts said that the choice of a female deputy by APC aimed at capturing the votes of the female population in the state.
They also contended that the choice of Ekemaru, who is from the same Mbaike block as the PDP candidate, is to effectively checkmate the growing influence of the major opposition party in the November election.
Ekemaru is also a compensation for the people of Ikeduru as she is of the same political block as Placid Njoku.