Fayemi Beats Oni 32 Others To Emerge Ekiti APC Governorship Candidate

By
Kazeem Tunde
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Fayemi Beats Oni 32 Others To Emerge Ekiti APC Governorship Candidate

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi on Saturday emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the July 14, 2018 Ekiti State governorship election.

Fayemi polled 941votes in a governorship primary held at the Damlek Event Centre, Ado Ekiti, the  State capital on Saturday.

He lost the 2014 election to Governor Ayodele Fayose of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after which he was appointed as a minister by President Muhammadu Buhari after winning the 2015 presidential election.

He defeated another former governor and immediate past APC national deputy chairman (South) Chief Segun Oni, who polled 481votes while Engineer Kayode Ojo came third, scoring 281 votes.Former speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Femi Bamisile came fourth with  179 votes.

Thirty three aspirants initially contested the botched poll held last Saturday but the Special Assistant to President Buhari on political matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu announced his withdrawal from contest on Thursday, just two days to the day of the election.

The presidential aide still went ahead to garner 10 votes in spite of his withdrawal from the poll.

According to the Electoral Committee Chairman, and Nasarawa State Governor, Umar Tanko Al-Makura a total of 2,327 delegates were accredited.

A total of 2618 delegates were  participatein the process according the delegates list submitted to the committee by the national Secretariat of the party in Abuja for the purpose of the election.
On the order of voting by the delegate s, 60 statutory delegates voted first while members of state working committee of the party who are 25 in number voted after then

The exercise was conducted under tight security as thousands of security agents from the Nigerian Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as men of the Department of Security Services  were deployed in Ado Ekiti to maintain law and order.

The exercise commenced at about 8am with accreditation of delegates at three different points at venue while the voting started at about 1:05pm and ended at 4:15pm .

The delegates from the three senatorial districts of the state, were accredited at the three designated centres.

While the accreditation was on, some suspected hoodlums were arrested at the gate of the venue of the  primary election.

It was learnt that one of the suspected hoodlums, who accused the policemen of bias after he was denied access into the venue because he did not have the necessary requirements, had on him charm wrapped in a red piece of cloth.
Also, other suspected hoodlums were arrested and handed over to operatives of the Criminal Investigation Department present at the venue.
The men claimed to be delegates from various wards but they did not possess any of the documents required to ease their entry to the main venue.

Other Aspirants and Their Scores

Mrs Abiodun Amudipe Folake 0, Sunday Adebomi 1, Duran Adesua 4, Adeyanju Bodunde 3, Ajayi Oluranti 1, Yinka Akerele 11, Kola Alabi 14, Bisi Aloba 7, Gbenga Aluko 86, Ago Arise 2, Opeyemi Bamidele 8, Muyiwa Coker 2, Bimbo Daramola 28, Ogubkoyode Oladipo 1, Adekunle Esan 0, Bamidele Faparusi 73, Sedan Fatoba 43, Victor Kolade 16 votes, Elizabeth Taye Matesun 1, Dele Okeya 13, Ajayi Olowo 2, Tosin Olofinluyi 14, Oluwole Oluleye 6, Olumilua Olumuyiwa 2, Wole Oluyede 121, Adebayo Orire 3, Makanjuola Owolabi 5, Mrs Mojisola Yaya-Kolade 4,

A total of 11 invalid votes were recorded in the exercise.

Chief Oni, while reacting to the outcome of the exercise promised to support the winner of the shadow election.

On whether he will leave the party to pursue his ambition elsewhere, Oni who described himself as a party man said he said it many a times that such will not happen.

 

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