Oyo APC: Folarin Wins Governorship Ticket

The Senator representing Oyo Central District, Teslim Folarin has won the Oyo State governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress.

Folarin was declared winner by the Secretary of the Committee who served as the Returning Officer, Dr Abdullahi Abubarkar Kuso after scoring 954 votes in a contest that ran late into Friday night at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium formerly Liberty Stadium, Oke Ado, Ibadan.

Eleven votes were declared void.
But, two aspirants including legal luminary, Chief Adeniyi Akintola and the 2019 APC candidate, Chief Adebayo Adelabu were not at the primary.

Three other aspirants namely, Dr Azeez Adeduntan, Akeem Alao and Akeem Agbaje were at the event.
Ex-Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu was also at the primary.

Akintola had on Thursday announced he would not be participating at the primary alleging that the process has been skewed to favour a particular aspirant.

He also on Friday submitted a petition to the Primary Appeal Committee claiming that he had emerged winner at a primary which held at Trans Amusement Park, Ibadan on Thursday, which was the day the national Secretariat fixed for the election.

Other scores as announced by the Kuso are Akeem Alao six votes, Adebayo Adelabu 327 votes, Dr Azeez Adeduntan 2 votes, Akeem Agbaje 15 votes and Adeniyi Akintola no vote.

The result was announced at about 10:48PM.
The election which started around 8:45PM lasted barely 45mins as all the Senatorial districts were organised to vote simultaneously.
Afikuyomi announced end of voting at about 9:33PM after the last delegate cast their votes.
The sorting of the votes started at about 9:45PM in the presence of agents of the aspirants.

The Primary election was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Security agencies among other stakeholders.

Some of the delegates left the mainbowl of the stadium shortly after casting their votes due to the lateness of the process, while some others waited in anticipation to hear the winner declared.

The announcement of the winner resulted in wild jubilation by the delegates who stormed the field to celebrate and embrace the winner

First weekly report that the election earlier fixed for Thursday could not hold after the Senator Afikuyomi led committee pointed security reasons.

To prevent a repeat of Thursday situation where the stadium was mobbed, the committee in collaboration with the aspirants and party leadership earlier held an accreditation exercise for the delegates at Jogor Event Centre, a few minutes drive from the stadium.

Earlier on Thursday, discrepancies was also generated when the Committee met the aspirants at a closed door meeting at Premier Hotel, Ibadan where issue of doctored delegate lists came up.
Addressing the delegates and other stakeholders before the commencement of the Friday primary election, Senator Afikuyomi thanked all the stakeholders including, delegates, aspirants, security operatives, media, national leadership of the party, management of the Obafemi Awolowo stadium among others for the overwhelming support that made the process go as planned.

Reacting after he was presented the certificate of return, Folarin commended the delegates for the efforts saying his main task is to get PDP out of power in the state.
He appealed to other aspirants to stay in the party so as to work with him in the interest of the party.
He expressed readiness to visit other aspirants and others who may be aggrieved by the result noting that the party must remain united.
-Kunle Bakare