Victor Ezeja
Bisi Kolawole, a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, has been declared winner of the primary election held on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, thereby becoming the party’s flag bearer in the June 18 governorship poll.
Kolawole who is said to be a favourite of the ex-governor, Ayodele Fayose, polled 671 votes to defeat his closest rival, Segun Oni, a former governor of the state, who scored 330 votes.
Chairman of the Primary election committee and governor of Akwa Ibom State, Emmanuel Udom, who declared Kolawole as the winner after the exercise, congratulated him and said the process was an internal affair of the party.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“Bisi Kolawole, having scored the highest number of votes cast in this election, is hereby declared the winner in accordance with the guidelines of our party,” Udom stated.
Seventeen governorship aspirants were cleared by the PDP Screening Committee to contest in the primary election but only six aspirants actively participated.
The immediate past deputy governor and PDP 2018 Governorship candidate, Kolapo Olusola Eleka managed to get 93 votes in the poll.
Others are Hon. Wale Aribisala, a former member of the House of Representatives, who scored 56 votes, Ayodele Kazeem, 06, and Kayode Adaramodu, 10 votes respectively.
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Speaking on the outcome of the poll, Kolawole commended the peaceful atmosphere in which the primary was conducted and also expressed his appreciation to the leadership of the party and the election committee for providing a level playing ground for all aspirants.
He also thanked Fayose for his support in the process leading to his victory.
Kolawole urged other aspirants to see the victory as that for all saying, “Today, I want to say that we are all winners. Engr Segun Oni is my brother and friend and I know that he will support this process. I want to commend other aspirants and appreciate them. Nobody can do it all alone.
“We are committed to delivering the people from sufferings being meted out to them in the last three years. You could all attest to the fact that the process of this election was free and fair, so I willingly accept to be the flag bearer of our great party in the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti.”
Earlier in the race, a serving senator representing Ekiti South, Mrs Biodun Olujimi had notified the primary election committee of her withdrawal from the exercise, alleging irregularities in the process which she would not want to be part of.
