A former deputy governor in Ondo state, Hon Ajayi Agboola has won the ongoing People’s Democratic Party governorship primary election in the state.
He polled 264 of the 621 votes cast during the contest.
Ajayi will fly the flag of the party in the November 16 governorship election in the state.
A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon Kolade Akinjo, came second with 157 votes, while the former Secretary General of the Pan Yoruba Socio-Political Group, Afenifere, Chief Sola Ebiseni came in third with 99 votes.
Other results showed that Akinwummi Adeolu polled 64 votes, Chief Bamidele Akingboye, 24 votes, former information and orientation commissioner, John Ola Mafo scored 9 votes, and financial expert Bosun Arebuwa scored two votes.
621 delegates across the 18 council areas of the state elected Ajayi during the contest held at the International Culture and Events Centre (The Dome), Akure.
Agboola was the former deputy governor to the late governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, before they parted ways following irreconcilable differences.
Attempts to impeach Ajayi during the crisis between him and the late Akeredolu failed.
Ajayi would be recalled to join the PDP after leaving the APC following an irreconcilable difference with the late governor, Rotimi Akeredolu who is the APC candidate.
Recall, that Ajayi, contested the PDP primaries and lost to Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, who became the party’s flagbearer in the election.
Ajayi later dumped the PDP and picked the ticket of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) to contest the 2020 governorship election. He emerged the party’s candidate but lost to the late governor, Rotimi Akeredolu
He returned to PDP with Mimiko after the former governor defected to PDP from ZLP
We’ll win Ondo back in November, says the Election Committee chairman.
The chairman of the 7-man Primary Election Committee and the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo had earlier promised the aspirants a free, fair, and credible election.
Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, speaking with newsmen before the commencement of the primary election in Akure, said that the aspirants are in high spirits and have promised to work together for whoever emerges as the party’s candidate.
” We are prepared and the aspirants are in high spirits and they have assured me that they would agree to work together for whoever emerged as the candidate.
“The problem of our party is how to get the power back from the APC that had been taken power from us for the past eight years.
“I have gotten commitment of all the aspirants that they would abide by the outcome and we are going to make it transparent as possible.
“You may be aware of my record that I was the one who conducted the primaries in Osun State, and we won in Osun and I’m here again to conduct the primaries in Ondo State, and by the grace of God, we are going to win because the sun of the last year is still the same of this year, so the rain will fall and the farmers would have good harvest.”
Declaring Ajayi the winner of the election, the chairman of the committee, Ewhrudjakpo, said that 621 voters were accredited, 619 valid votes and two valid votes.
He said that Ajayi, having scored the most votes, becomes the candidate of the party in the November 16 governorship election in the state.
No victory, no vanquish, it’s victory for all of us.
Ajayi, in his acceptance speech, dedicated his victory to the party.
He thanked the committee for a transparent process.
The candidate said that ” no winner , no vanquish, it’s victory for all of us in the PDP.
Ajayi, commended his co-contestants and appealed to them to join hands with him to rescue the state for backwardness.