…..As Segun Oni Promises Togetherness
Morolake Oluwatosin
Former Governor Ayodele Fayose’s anointed aspirant for the People’s Democratic Party PDP governorship election Hon Olabisi Kolawole has been elected as the party’s flagbearer at the primary election conducted on Wednesday in Ekiti State.
Kolawole, who polled 671 votes , defeated former governor Segun Oni, who polled 330 votes out of a total of 1200 delegates that participated in the keenly contested primary out of which only 1185 votes were cast .
Announcing the results at the Eagles Hall in Ado Ekiti, venue of the election, the Chairman of the Ekiti PDP Gubernational Primary Election and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, said Kolawole scored 671 to defeat Oni and other aspirants.
Also former member, House of Representatives, Hon Wale Aribisala, scored 56 votes, former Deputy Governor Kolapo Eleka, 93, Ayodele Kazeem, 06, while Kayode Adaramodu scored 10 votes respectively.
In the same vein, Mrs Adekemi Adewumi got 0 vote, Lateef Ajijola, 03 and Mrs Biodun Olujimi got 02 votes.
Emmanuel said: “Bisi Kolawole, having scored the highest number of votes cast in this election, is hereby declared the winner in accordance with the guidelines of our party”.
Emmanuel congratulated all the aspirants, saying the process was an internal affairs of the party and about PDP.
Kolawole, who hails from Efon in Ekiti Central Senatorial District, was elected a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly in 2007 and was appointed a Commissioner for Environment in 2014 by Fayose.
In his response, Kolawole commended the leadership of the party for providing a level playing ground for all aspirants, saying no breach of security and
“Let me commend someone who is a good coach who discovered me . He just have seen something in me or read my antecedents . He is wizard. I thank him for willingly giving me his endorsement making me the winner of this primary. The person is former governor Ayodele Fayose.
“Today, I want to say that we are all winners. Enginr Segun Oni is my brother and friend and I know that he will support this process. I want to commend other aspirants and appreciate them . Nobody can do it all alone.
“We are committed to delivering the people from.sufferings being meted out to them in the last three years. You could all attest to the fact that the process of this election was free and fair , so I willingly accept to be the flagbearer of our great party in the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti”.
Kolawole’s close rival Oni who accepted the outcome of the exercise, promised to work with Kolawole in a bid to defeat the ruling APC.
” We are going to fight together to make him(Kolawole) governor come June 18. We are satisfied with the process and no one is complaining. You saw it all here, ” Oni said.