Breaking: Fayemi is APC’s torchbearer for Ekiti 2018
*Defeats Segun Oni, 30 others
*Fresher Kayode Ojo makes surprising 3rd position
*As 14 Aspirants’ refusal to step down stopped Southern agenda
…Segun Adewale wins ADP governorship ticket
“You are correct about some people’s fear of APC going to lose if Fayemi emergies. But that is not how politics of Nigeria operates. The interest of the party is paramount here. Who among the aspirants, aggrieved or not, will be comfortable with APC losing to another round of Fayose’s influence in Ekiti administration? What they can all do now is to force Fayemi into accepting his errors of the past and then the Party’s leadership at the Federal level will pull all of them together with a view to making Fayemi, whose major offence is that he ran administration of arrogance, see reasons and carry everybody along. I wish Ekiti APC good luck,” the source said.
The immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Candidate in the July 14 gubernatorial election in the Southwestern state.
Fayemi, who was voted out by Ekiti people in the 2014 governorship election, is one of the 32 contestants for the Party’s ticket at Saturday’s rescheduled primaries. The 33rd candidate, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, withdrew from the contest following what he termed lack of transparency on the part of the Federal officials handling the exercise.
Currently he is the Minister of Mines and Steel Development in the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.
Fayemi polled 941 votes, followed by Mr Segun Oni 481, while Kayode Ojo, a technocrat and newcomer in the exercise polled 281 to emerge third in the voting exercise where 2,327 accredited delegates voted in the shadow election.
By this victory, Fayemi will be contesting the governorship seat of the state with Prof. Kolapo Olusola (Eleka) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Segun Adewale, who emerged as governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) and others in the July election. Olusola is being promoted by incumbent Governor Ayo Fayose of the PDP, while Adewale is poised to pose a big challenge to the Fayose’s candidate being former Chairman of PDP in the state.
With promises of a united force by the APC’s aspirants, it is hoped that all camps will put off personal interests for supremacy of Party’s interest to enable the APC make a good fight in the coming governorship election in the state, although Fayemi, if pushed forward, was long before now believed to be a bad choice.
A source however told The DEFENDER that it was a wishful thinking of onlookers who do not understand how Nigerian politics works to see Fayemi as bad choice.
“You are correct about some people’s fear of APC going to lose if Fayemi emergies. But that is not how politics of Nigeria operates. The interest of the party is paramount here. Who among the aspirants, aggrieved or not, will be comfortable with APC losing to another round of Fayose’s influence in Ekiti administration? What they can all do now is to force Fayemi into accepting his errors of the past and then the Party’s leadership at the Federal level will pull all of them together with a view to making Fayemi, whose major offence is that he ran administration of arrogance, see reasons and carry everybody along. I wish Ekiti APC good luck,” the source said.
The calculation by an Ondo town stakeholder, Richard Akinola, had been that Segun Oni, who is from Ifaki Ekiti, would emerge and then he picks Ojudu as running mate, who after a four years term, will succeed him as governor in 2022.
Another interesting person among the contestants is Engr. Kayode Ojo, a very highly successful businessman with his hands on many developmental projects across Nigeria. He is from Ikoro in Ijero Local Government Area of Ekiti State. That he, as a first comer, could pick the third position in the keenly contested APC primary elections means that he could do better in near future.
Kayode Ojo, if whoever will emerge as governor of Ekiti in the July 14 election will really mean business about development the state, is one partner in progress to consult. That is just as APC leadership at the Federal should not underrate some of the contestants in their needs to move Nigeria forward to the greater heights as a party and as government.
Recall that thugs disrupted penultimate Saturday primary of the APC held at Oluyemi Kayode Stadium after delegates from five councils of the 16 had voted. This Saturday’s election venue was heavily manned by security operatives.
The Chairman of the Election Committee, Governor Tanko Al-Makura, personally oversaw the exercise so as not to give any room for lapses. Voting was concluded at 4:13 pm and doors leading to the hall of the voting arena were locked, with security agents standing guard.
The sorting of votes started in earnest, and what each aspirant scored were placed inside boxes allotted to them Tanko Al Makura, assisted by Election Committee members, sorted the ballot papers one after the other Sorting of the 10 ballot boxes ended by 8:53pm Total number of 2,327 accredited delegates voted in the shadow election, out of 2,618 delegates. The 32 aspirants sat through the whole process.
The much touted southern agenda could not stop the Minister’s victory, as the refusal of the 14 aspirants from the southern senatorial district to step down for each other largely affected their performance in the primary.
Meanwhile, six false delegates and some thugs were arrested during the primary. They reportedly attempted to force their way into the venue of the election. It was gathered that the suspects engaged security operatives who manned the gates as they insisted on going into the hall to vote without being accredited delegates. One of the suspects, after much argument, was alleged to have on his neck a charm wrapped in a red piece of cloth.
Those arrested claimed to be delegates from various council areas of Ekiti but could not produce evidence that they were accredited delegates. A large sum of money was said to have been found in their possession. They were handed over to police detectives.
Following the development, security at the two gates to the venue became tight. All those who passed through the gates were frisked to their pants by the police and officers of the DSS.
Segun Adewale wins ADP governorship ticket
Former chairman of the Peoples Demicratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Otunba Segun Adewale, has emerged the candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in the July 14 gubernatorial election in Ekiti State.
Adewale emerged the ADP candidate at the party’s primary conducted in line with the Electoral Act, guideline of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC). The ADP adopted the Option A4 pattern for the exercise.
The candidate said his victory is for the people of Ekiti State, noting that the process of making the state great has started.
The primary election, witnessed by the state ADP officials, INEC officials and national officers of the party, among whom were ADP national organizing secretary, Dr Lynn Olisa, national youth leader, national publicity secretary, Otunba Fatoyinbo, amongst others.
Speaking through his director of Media and Public Communications, Prince Adelaja Adeoye, Adewale said that a new and prosperous Ekiti has come, emphasizing the party is focused on creating wealth for the people.
He clinched the ticket with 16,890 votes out of the total votes of 17,600, about 96 per cent of all the votes cast at various wards across the 16 local governments in the state.
He has since been presented with the certificate by the party as the flagbearer ahead of July 14 election.
Addressing a press conference after the primary, Adewale said he was concerned about the sufferings of the people and this drives him to work harder in order to bring succour to the people.
He also revealed his 7-Point Agenda which he said will be the fulcrum of his administration. His agenda are, offsetting all outstanding payments owed by the state government; fixing power within the state to re-invent the business environment; re-invite all business that had fled Ekiti; make the state a medicare destination; bring back to life all.moribund industries in the state; and create vocational centres and improve the educational sector.
Adewale further charged the Ekiti people to vote massively for the ADP at the polls to bring about a paradigm shift in the governing and running of the state.
