Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, will fly the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State, and it is official.
With 941 of the delegates to yesterday’s rescheduled primary of the party throwing their weight behind him, Fayemi defeated a strong field of 31 other aspirants in the poll conducted at Damlek Event Centre, Oke-Ila, Ado-Ekiti.
Trailing Fayemi in the second position was Chief Segun Oni who got 481 votes.
Both had, at different times in the past, governed the state.
Oni, was also before now, Deputy National Chairman (South) of the APC.
Kayode Ojo, an engineer, received 281 votes to place third.
Mr. Femi Bamisile came fourth with 179 followed by Dr. Wole Oluyede (121), Senator Gbenga Aluko (86), Chief Sesan Fatoba (43), Mr. Bimbo Daramola (28), Mr. Bamidele Faparusi (23), Mr. Victor Kolade (16), Mr. Kola Alabi (14), Tosin Olofinluyi (14) and Senator Babafemi Ojudu with 10 votes even after pulling out of the race earlier in the week.
Otunba Yinka Akerele got 11 votes, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele (11), Chief Bisi Aloba (7), Dr.Wole Oluleye (6), Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade (4), Mr. Bodunde Adeyanju (3), Dr. Bayo Orire (3), Senator Ayo Arise (2) and Mr. Muyiwa Olumilua (2), Mr. Ajayi Olowo (2), and Mr. Muyiwa Coker (2).
Mr. Oladipo Ogunkayode, Mrs. Elizabeth Matesun, Mr. Debo Ajayi, got 1 vote each while the remaining aspirants failed to receive any vote.
Eleven votes were declared invalid.
As soon as counting was concluded at about 10.50 pm and it was obvious that Fayemi had won, APC national leader,Asiwaju Bola Tinubu called him by phone to congratulate him on his victory.
Oni, Arise and other aspirants also moved in Fayemi’s direction to congratulate him.
This was in contrast to the acrimony that marred the last week’s aborted primary.
Voting commenced at 1.10 pm with statutory delegates casting their ballots.
The statutory delegates included former governors, deputy governors, Senators, Representatives and Assembly members.
Prior to the commencement of voting, Chairman of the Electoral Panel, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State, had announced that 2,618 names were on the delegates list from the National Secretariat.
However, 2,327 were eventually accredited to vote.
Statutory delegates were 60 in number while the state excos are 3.
Voting started at 1.05 pm and ended at 4.13 pm followed by sorting at 5.10 pm and ended at 8.52 pm.
No fewer than six suspected hoodlums were arrested at the gate of the venue of the primary.
Four of them were nabbed while attempting to force their way into the venue but met their match in the armed policemen who manned the gates.
The eagle-eyed security agents denied them access and arrested the suspects with one of them caught with a charm wrapped in a piece of red cloth.
They were subsequently handed over to the operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
The suspects claimed to be delegates but they failed to produce concrete evidence to grant them entry into the main venue from the gate.
The sum of N158,000 was found on them.
Earlier two men were separately arrested for also attempting to enter the venue by force.
The primary was originally fixed for penultimate Saturday.
It was however disrupted by hoodlums, forcing the panel to suspend proceedings.
Party leaders met with the aspirants and agreed on a fresh primary yesterday.
