Kolawole clinches PDP ticket for June 18 Ekiti governorship poll

Former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti, Bisi Kolawole, has emerged winner of the just-concluded primary election for ticket to represent the party at the forthcoming June 18 governorship election in the state.

The primary election was conducted on Wednesday, in the state’s capital of Ado-Ekiti.

However, while the accreditation held at the Pastoral Centre in Ado-Ekiti, the actual voting was conducted at the Great Eagle Hall.

Kolawole was declared winner by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, who was the chairman of the Primary Election Committee of the PDP.

The former state chairman polled a total of 671 delegates’ votes to defeat his closest challenger, and former governor of the state, Segun Oni, who garnered 330 votes.

The exercise was nearly marred as delegates engaged in fisticuffs over allegation that the list had been doctored to favour a candidate. However, the matter was eventually resolved as voting continued.

This is also as troops of the Nigerian Army arrested about 100 thugs said to be coming from Ibadan, in Oyo State and believed to be heading to Ado Ekiti for the state Primary Election venue in state’s capital.

Troops effected the arrest of several thugs headed to Ekiti from Ibadan, in Oyo State for the keenly contested PDP governorship primaries.

Soldiers at about 3 am on Wednesday morning intercepted the thugs who are members of the Oyo State Park Management System, also known as the National Union Workers (NURTW) at Ita Awure/Efon Junction, Osun State.

It was gathered that the thugs were headed to disrupt the PDP Primaries. The thugs were mobilized to prevent emergence of a certain candidate for the 2022 governorship election.

Several locally made guns, machetes, charms and ammunition were recovered from them.

Earlier, in the exercise proper, senator representing Ekiti South district, Biodun Olujimi, pulled out of the race, as she accused the party of disenfranchising her by doctoring the delegates’ list.

The primary election took place in Ado-Ekiti

It would be re called that Kolawole had resigned his position as Ekiti PDP chairman in order to contest the governorship election.

He was also the preferred candidate of the former governor of the state, Mr Ayo Fayose.

Kolawole is a former lawmaker who represented Efon constituency in the state House of Assembly. He also served as commissioner of environment between 2015 and 2018.

The result sheet:

Kayode Adaramodu- 10

Kazeem Ayodeji- 6

Olusola Kolapo- 93

Deborah Ali- 1

Ojo- 1

Makanjuola- 1

Biodun Olujimi- 2

Aderemi Adewumi- 1

Adewale Aribisala- 56

Segun Oni- 330

Bisi Kolawole- 671