Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has emerged the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer for the November 2024 governorship election in the state having won the party’s governorship primary election.
Aiyedatiwa was declared winner in the early hours of Monday by the Chairman of the APC Primary Election Committee for Ondo State and Kogi State governor, Usman Ododo, who said Aiyedatiwa has satisfied the requirement of the law and scored the highest vote.
This comes amidst protest over the conduct of the primary election.
Recall that a protest shook Ondo State on Sunday as APC members demanded the cancellation of the governorship primary, alleging fraud and undemocratic practices. The protest which was reportedly led by representatives of four gubernatorial aspirants, including Chief Olusola Oke, Wale Akinterinwa, Jimi Odimayo, and Folakemi Omogoroye, expressed strong objections to what they called “a flawed electoral process”.
The protesters, raising up placards with different inscriptions in Akure, called for Ododo’s suspension as chairman of the election committee, accusing him of conducting “a sham election”.
A total of 171,922 members of the party were revalidated to vote in 203 wards in the 18 local government areas of the state, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Ododo said that Aiyedatiwa polled 48,569 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Mr Mayowa Akinfolarin, who had 15,343 out of 95,178 valid votes counted.
Mr Olusola Oke, SAN, was placed third with 14,195 votes.
According to the chairman of the election committee, Aiyedatiwa won in 16 out of the 18 local government areas of the state while Oke won in one.
He said that there was no voting in Ifedore Local Government Area as a result of widespread violence and threat to life.
Ododo appreciated all party members who participated in the exercise for their courage and perseverance, describing the primary election as peaceful.
He said that the real work had just begun, adding that the aspirants and their supporters should not allow the results of the primary election to divide them.
According to him, there is no reason to abandon the party.
The chairman asked the party members to be in unity in order to come out more united and stronger in the subsequent political contests.
NAN reports that the party adopted the direct mode for the conduct of the primary which held on Saturday.
However, due to some irregularities a rerun was ordered on Sunday in the 13 wards in Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state.
Earlier, some of the aspirants criticized the conduct of the primary election alleging violence and none arrival of materials and officials in some wards.
There was also a protest on Sunday by supporters of some of the aspirants at the APC secretariat in Akure, who called for the cancellation of the exercise.
Other aspirants that participated in the primary are: Mr Isaac Kekemeke, Mr Olusoji Ehinlanwo, Mr Olugbenga Edema , Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim, Mr Diran Iyantan; Prof. Dayo Faduyile, Mr Ifeoluwa Oyedele.
Others are Mrs Funmilayo Waheed-Adekojo, Mr Adewale Akinterinwa; Mr Olusola Oke, Mr Ohunyeye Felix; Mr Morayo Lebi, Mrs Judith Omogoroye and Mr Jimi Odimayo.
