Osun State Governor, Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola, has been declared winner of the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship primary election held on Saturday.
This came despite open declarations by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, that Oyetola wouldn’t clinch the party ticket for the July 16 governorship election in the state.
Declaring the result, the chairman of the primary election committee and Kwara State Governor AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman said Oyetola polled 222,169 votes to emerge winner.
He added that former Secretary to the State Government, Moshood Adeoti, polled 12,921 to finish in second place, while former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf, polled 460 votes.
He further added that the total registered voters for the exercise stood at 408,697, while those accredited for was 247,207. The Kwara governor also stated that the total of valid votes cast was 235,550.
“I, AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman, Chairman of Osun Direct Primary committee, hereby certify that Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola, having secured the highest number of votes in the election, is hereby declared winner”, he said.
Aregbesola, who has been campaigning for Adeoti, had prior to the election stated that Adeoti would defeat Oyetola and Yusuf, if the “primary is fair, free and credible.’
But at Aregbesola’s Ward 08, Ifofin in Ilesa East Local Council, Oyetola won with 309 votes while Adeoti got 146 votes.
Meanwhile, Aregbesola was not in town, The Guardian learnt. At Yusuf’s Ward 05, Ilobu, in Irepodun Local Council, Oyetola got 323 votes to defeat Yusuf, who only got 10 votes. Adeoti garnered 62.
Neither Adeoti nor Yusuf got any vote at Oyetola’s ward with the returning officer announcing that out of the 2,053 accredited voters, Oyetola got 1,612. Adeoti and Yusuf did not present agents in the ward.
Governor AbdulRazaq, who led a seven-man committee for the primary, had promised a free, fair and credible exercise. AbdulRazaq said the primary was peaceful, as against speculation of violence before the poll.
Meanwhile, there was heavy presence of security personnel around Osogbo and other major towns. Nigeria Police officers and other security personnel were positioned in strategic locations to maintain law and order during and after the primary.
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