The Osun All Progressives Congress has declared Alhaji Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola winner of the governorship primary election ahead of the September 22 election in the state.
In the direct primary which was held on Friday, Oyetola polled 127,017 votes as against House of Representatives deputy speaker Yusuf Lasun who scored 21,000. Speaker of the Osun House of Assembly Nojeem Salaam came third.
Oyetola, a participant in the June 12 struggle, has been Gov Aregbesola’s chief of staff since 2010.
Announcing the results at about 10:45 pm on Friday at the party’s secretariat in Osogbo Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege said Oyetola, scored 127,017 votes.
Omo-Agege, who represented Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara, the Chairman of the Election Committee, said that Mr Lasun Yussuff, Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives came second with 21,975 votes.
“Having won the majority votes, I declared Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola as the official flag bearer for the Sept. 22 governorship election,” Omo-Agege said.
He commended all other aspirants for displaying maturity during the exercise.
Omo-Agege, who described the election as a family contest said there was no victor and no vanquished.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the direct primary was conducted in 332 wards across the state.
The late arrival of election materials and absence of electoral officials delayed the exercise in some of the wards visited.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who monitored the exercise in Iwo, Ejigbo, Ikire and Gbongan, reports that many party members waited for hours at their wards to be accredited for the exercise.
At ward 2, Molete in Iwo Local Government as at 1:30 pm, party members were still waiting for electoral officials.
Mr Semiu Akanji, a party member, said he had been on the queue since 8:30 am.
” We were told that the exercise will start by 8:00am but to our surprise, we are still waiting for electoral officials as at 1:30 pm”, Akanji said.
Mr Adelere Oriolowo, an aspirant, described the late arrival of the election material as worrisome.
Oriolowo said preparation for the direct primary as announced by the party leadership was too short.
Another aspirant, Mr Kunle Rasheed Adegoke, also complained of non-availability of election materials in his ward 3 in Olorunda Local Government, Osogbo.
At Salvation Army School, Alekuwodo, ward 5, Osogbo, voters waited vainly for the electoral register until about 4:00 pm.
Among the 17 aspirants who contested for the party’s ticket, several withdrew at the last minute.
They were Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, who is the Secretary to State Government, Sen. Babajide Omoworare, representing Osun East at the Senate and Mr Peter Babalola, Chairman of State Civil Service Commission.
NAN
