By Banji Ayoola
Ondo State Governor has won the ticket of his party, the All Progressives Congress, as its candidate in the November 16 Governorship Election.
The chairman of the Governorship Primary Election Committee and Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo, on Monday morning in Akure the state capital, announced him winner of the exercise which held between Saturday and Sunday.
He announced collated results from 17 out of the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.
There was no voting in Ifedore Local Government Area because of widespread violence and threat to life.
Ododo said Aiyedatiwa won with a total of 48,569 votes. His closest rival, Mayowa Akinfolarin, scored 15,343 votes, while Chief Olusola Oke came third with 14,865 votes.
According to the Kogi governor, Aiyedatiwa won in 16 of the state’s 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Oke won in Ilaje LGA, while the election was cancelled in Ifedore LGA.
He added that the primaries held across the 18 council areas of Ondo State, and witnessed fervent participation from party members and supporters.
About 171,922 members of the party were re-validated to vote in 203 wards in the 18 local government areas of the state.
Ododo said Aiyedatiwa won having satisfied the requirement of the law and scored the highest votes.
He described the primary election as peaceful.
However, other aspirants protested the results alleging foul play.
They criticized the conduct of the primary election alleging violence and none arrival of materials and officials in some wards.
On Sunday, supporters of some of the aspirants protested at the APC secretariat in Akure, calling for the cancellation of the exercise.
Ododo urged the aspirants and their supporters not allow the results of the primary election to divide them or make them abandon the party.
He asked the party members to unite for subsequent elections.
The party adopted he direct mode for the primary.
However, due to some irregularities a rerun was ordered on Sunday in the 13 wards of Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state.
Altogether, 16 aspirants contested the primary.
They included Aiyedatiwa, Hon. Mayowa Akinfolarin; Chief Olusola Oke, SAN; Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim; Mr. Wale Akinterinwa; Hon. Isaac D. Kekemeke; Hon. Gbenga Edema; Mr. Ohunyeye Olamide Felix; Hon. Olujimi Odimayo; Mr. Olusoji Ehinlanwo; Morayo Lebi Esq; Prince Diran Iyantan; Prof. Francis Faduyile; Engr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele; Mrs. Funmilayo Waheed Adekojo; and Engr. Funke Omogoroye.
Speaking before the party’s electoral officers reeled out the results from the 18 council areas, Ododo said, “Let’s remember that the real election lies with all of us as members of this great party, the All Progressives Congress.
“We must always reflect on the words of our father and leader, President Bola Tinubu, who has maintained that a political contest is a quest to serve by brothers and sisters from the same family but leaving in the same room and must therefore live in the same house after the election has been won and lost.
“In our own room today, we are all in the same room as a family, and as such, we have no need to abandon the party, irrespective of today’s outcome.
We must set aside our differences and unite behind our candidate.
“In our unity, we shall continue to find strength, and our victory lies in our solidarity as party men and women.”
In his acceptance speech, Aiyedatiwa thanked his supporters for the victory.
He said: “I want to specially thank the President and Leader of our party, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his leadership.
“I thank the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, the National Chairman of our party, Alhaji Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, the Progressive Governors, National and State Working Committees of our party and all stakeholders in the state for their forthrightness in the processes leading to my emergence as the flag-bearer for our party in the Ondo 2024 governorship election.”
Following is the full text of Aiyedatiwa’s acceptance speech titled ” A time to win together”:
“The internally orchestrated heavy politics within our party, APC, in search of our flag-bearer in the forthcoming gubernatorial election has come to a conclusion today with the emergence of a candidate as declared by the Governorship Primary Election Committee under the chairmanship of His Excellency, Governor Usman Ododo, the Governor of Kogi State.
Let me at this time acknowledge and thank all the aspirants who threw their hats into the ring in the family contest to be the flag-bearer: Hon. Mayowa Akinfolarin, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim, Mr. Wale Akinterinwa, Hon. Isaac D. Kekemeke, Hon. Gbenga Edema, Mr. Ohunyeye Olamide Felix, Hon. Olujimi Odimayo, Mr. Olusoji Ehinlanwo, Morayo Lebi Esq, Prince Diran Iyantan, Prof. Francis Faduyile, Engr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele, Mrs. Funmilayo Waheed Adekojo and Engr. Funke Omogoroye.
Your participation has created so much awareness within and outside our party. You mobilized our members and removed apathy. You have also brought in numerous new members into the party. All of these have enriched our democracy and strengthened our party in the State.
Democracy sometimes, after a contest like this, comes with discordant tunes. But this is not the time to hold grudges against anyone but for all of us to come together to work for the success of our great party so as to remain in power. We will all gain in this party, though at different times, if we keep faith. I salute your courage and keen interest to lead the State towards development. It is your right and you are qualified and worthy members of our party.
I want to specially thank the President and Leader of our party, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his leadership. I thank the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, the National Chairman of our party, Alhaji Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, the Progressive Governors, National and State Working Committees of our party and all stakeholders in the state for their forthrightness in the processes leading to my emergence as the flag-bearer for our party in the Ondo 2024 governorship election.
I thank all our traditional rulers, institutional heads, civil servants and all the stakeholders who have chosen me as their preferred candidate. I also thank all the party leaders, including the APC Aborigines, members of the campaign team and all others who toured the entire 18 local government areas together with me to engage with our party members. I do not take for granted the love shown to me by our members across the State.
To all our party members, I hereby accept, wholeheartedly, the responsibility conferred on me as the candidate of our party by the votes of our members who turned out in their large numbers on the 20th of April 2024.
Now, more than ever before, the greatness of Ondo State is what matters the most. I therefore request that we all join hands together in building the future that we all yearn for in Ondo state. There is infrastructure to be built; better healthcare services to be delivered; fair justice to be served; qualitative education to be ensured; civil servants to be trained and motivated; security of lives and properties to be strengthened; enabling environment to be created for businesses to thrive and attract investors.
Once again, I thank you all for your support.”
