SEN. Sule Ajibola PDP (Kwara South) has emerged winner of the party’s governorship primaries for the 2015 general elections in the state.
The Chairman of the Electoral Panel, Governor Gabriel Suswan of Benue, declared Ajibola as the PDP governorship candidate on Friday, having scored 144 votes to defeat 11 other contestants.
In a keenly contested primary, Ajibola beat the first runner up, Mr Dele Belgore (SAN), who polled 132 votes.
Belgore was closely followed by Senator Gbemisola Saraki who scored 113 votes.
Reports indicate that 680 delegates voted for aspirants at the primaries, 29 were absent while two votes were voided.
Although there was tight security, the election was, however, conducted under a peaceful atmosphere.
Reports state that Governor Suswan had earlier held a closed door meeting with the 12 aspirants, party executive members and PDP elders, to fine tune modalities for conducting a credible primary.
The state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Salihu Garba, was present at the venue, to ensure adequate security and prevent the break down of law and order.
Suswan commended the aspirants for the honourable way they conducted themselves and displaying high sense of maturity.
He said that the outcome was a demonstration of internal democracy which PDP believed so much in as means of deepening the country’s fledgling democracy.
Suswan expressed satisfaction that the election took place without rancour and called on all aspirants and stakeholders to work together towards winning the 2015 general elections.
In his acceptance speech, Sen. Ajibola expressed gratitude to all delegates and the party faithful for giving him their votes.
“We are all winners in this election; no victor, no vanquished and we should all work together to make today’s victory translate into winning Kwara for PDP in 2015.”
Ajibola, therefore, enjoined other aspirants, PDP stakeholders, and the people of the state to make his emergence as the party’s flag bearer to be the end of slavery in Kwara.
Ajibola said: “I am a winner, five times I have stood for elections against Sarakis and five times, I defeated them flatly.”
According to him, the confidence the party reposed in him has re-emboldened him to floor Saraki-led APC government in Kwara.
One of the aspirants, Deacon John Dara, congratulated Ajibola for his victory and lauded the outcome of the primary.
Other aspirants also commended organisers of the primary, state and national bodies of PDP for providing level playing ground and conducting the election in a free, fair and transparent manner.
The aspirants expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the primary, saying it had doused all doubts that the exercise would lead to disintegration of the party.