Ekiti Primary. Fayemi being accredited

Minister of Mines and Steel Development Dr Kayode Fayemi on Saturday emerged winner of the Ekiti All Progressive Congress, APC governorship primary election polling 941 votes to defeat the other 31 aspirants.

In the declared result of the exercise, Fayemi polled 941 votes to defeat 31 other aspirants, including a former governor of the state, Chief Segun Oni, who scored 481 votes.

Oni is Deputy National Chairman (South) of the party.

According to Chairman of the Primary Election Committee, Gov. Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa, who announced the result of the election, Mr Kayode Ojo scored 281, Mr Femi Bamisile, 179 votes and Sen. Gbenga Aluko, 86 votes.

He announced that Mr Faparusi Bamidele got votes, former Deputy Whip of the Senate, Sen. Ayo Arise, two votes; Akerele Oluyinka, 11 votes and Mr Bamidele Opeyemi, eight votes.

A former House of Representatives member, Mr Daramola Bimbola, polled 28 votes; ‎Mr Fatoba Joseph, 43 votes; Mr Kolade Victor, 16 votes and Dr Oluyede Oluwole, 121 votes.

‎Al-Makura thanked all the aspirants and delegates for their patience, outstanding perseverance and love for each other during and after the election.

He congratulated Fayemi emerging the party’s candidate and charged him to work together with the other aspirants to enable him achieve his desired goals and objectives in election.

In his victory speech, Fayemi said he was delighted over the victory, and assured that he would work with all other aspirants, who lost in the primary election.

“I am delighted to have won the party’s primary election, and I am also happy because the delegates voted for me.

“It shows that they believe so much in my abilities to change the lives of the Ekiti people to better compare with what they are currently experiencing.

“All other aspirants ‎are my friends and colleagues, and I am going to work with them to ensure that our great party emerges winner in the forthcoming gubernatorial election,” he said.

Fayemi in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Ado-Ekti, said that he was delighted with the smooth running of the voting exercise.

” I can see that delegates from the 11 local government h‎ave cast their votes and there was no fraudulent acts or riot, everything is  going on smoothly.

Delegates from 16 local government areas of Ekiti state voted for 33 aspirants who were cleared by the party for the primary election, but one of them, Mr Babafemi Ojudu, withdrew on Wednesday, leaving 32 aspirants in the race.

Voting by delegates from the 16 local government areas in the state ended at about 4.15 p.m., and the Chairman of the Primary Election Commission, Gov. Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa, commended the voters for impressive turnout and conduct.

He told newsmen that he was delighted with the peace that pervaded voting and expressed optimism that entire exercise would be successful.

Speaking in an interview shortly after the voting exercise, Al-Makura, described the exercise as peaceful and successful.

“We did everything in compliance and conformity with the party’s guidelines; now that the voting is completed, we are going into sorting and this will be very transparent.

“Having experienced the first task last week, I met with all the aspirants on Friday and they all assured that the exercise will be peaceful, that they are not ready to take anything for granted.

“You could see the commitment and passion in the aspirants; they all lived to their promise and that is the result of the peace we recorded today,” he said.