By Banji Ayoola
Incumbent Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has emerged candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the state’s October 10 governorship.
The result,which was declared about 12.25am, showed that Akeredolu won in all the state’s 18 local government areas, defeating other seven contestants including Hon Isaacs Kekemeke, Mrs Jumoke Anifowose-Ajasin, Ambassador Olusola Iji, Chief Olusola Oke, Mr Awodeyi Akinsehinwa, Mr Olaide Adelami and Mr Bukola Adetula.
Four of the original 12 aspirants who had bought the party’s nomination forms each for N25 million, and started the race, including Engineer Ife Oyedele, Dr Segun Abraham, Mr Jimi Odimayo and Mr Nat Adojutelegan, had withdrawn from the primary few hours to its commencement, to boost Akeredolu’s chances.
In the result, Akeredolu polled 2,458 votes, while Oke came second, having scored 262 votes, and Kekemeke came third after polling 19 votes.
Olayide Adelami and Nathaniel Adojutelegan polled four votes each while Mrs. Jumoke Anifowose-Ajasin scored two votes. Ambassador Olusola Iji polled nine votes.
Declaring Akeredolu winner of the primary election, the chairman of the election committee, Governor Yahaya Bello, said a total of 3,016 delegates were accredited for the exercise while total votes cast stood at 2,793. Of the number, 2, 760 votes were valid while 33 were declared as invalid.
The primary, which held at the Ondo State International Cultural and Event Centre, started exactly at 2:00 pm on Monday and ended at 1:00 am Tuesday. Accreditation commenced at 11:00 am.
No violence was recorded throughout the 14-hour exercise.
In his acceptance speech, Akeredolu said he could not have had it better as the victory was handed to him on his birthday.
He pointed out that the exercise started on his wife’s birthday and ended on his own birthday.
He called on co-aspirants to join him in the journey ahead, stressing that he needs all of them as experienced generals in their own rights who are leading troupes that are important in the task of developing the state.
Akeredolu said their participation enriched the race, adding that all of them were winners.
Scores of armed security men from the police, the Department of State Services, the National Security and Civil Defence Corps and men of the Federal Road Safety Corps, were deployed in the venue of the exercise.
It was gathered that the aspirants who stepped down for Akeredolu on Monday did so following the pressure and instructions from the party national leadership.
A source in the APC said: “There was a serious meeting with the reconciliation committee led by Governor Sani Bello of Niger State with some of the aspirants over the weekend; this is the result of the meeting.”
Stating his own reason, Abraham, who is a member of the Unity Forum, said, “In line with the party decision and respect of party supremacy, I hereby announce my stepping down from the APC 2020 gubernatorial primary election of our dear state.
This decision was made in support of the candidacy of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, after much consultation across and within party lines.”
Similarly, another aspirant, Odimayo, also mentioned the party’s influence on his decision to withdraw from the race.
He had said: “After a series of meetings and consultations with the top hierarchy of our party at both the national and state levels, fellow contestants, leaders, elders and other stakeholders, I will not be participating in today’s July 20, 2020 APC Governorship Primary Election, thereby pledging my full support and that of my team and political family members for our Governor Akeredolu to emerge, as the candidate of our party, APC.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the APC Primary Committee and Governor of Kogi State, Mr Yahaya Bello, said the exercise would be free, fair and transparent.
He said, “ I was satisfied with what I saw when I came in. I saw that the security arrangement was proper. I also commended the delegates for comporting themselves in a good manner and I am very sure that the exercise would be free and fair.”
Also, Akeredolu had expressed hope of coming out victorious at the primary.
On the controversy surrounding the delegates’ list, Akeredolu said, “I never wanted to be involved in all the complaints because I know that a farmer goes to farm with implements. The farmer only complains when he is not ready.”
Another aspirant, Oke, commended the Chairman of the Primary Committee, Governor Yahaya Bello, for looking into some observations made.
“We cannot tolerate a situation where the APC will slide into the opposition in Ondo State.
“There will be fight and quarrel when people try to cut corners. My confidence will be determined by the process. We pray what happened in 2016 will not happen again. In election matters, the more you look, the less you see,” Oke said.
