The Ekiti State All Progressives Congress Primary Election Committee has announced Governor Kayode Fayemi’s ‘anointed’ candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, as winner of the exercise.
Chairman of the committee and governor of Jigawa State, Badaru Abubakar, announced this on Thursday night at the state party secretariat in Ado-Ekiti.
According to Abubakar, Oyebanji scored 101,703 to defeat seven other aspirants.
The other aspirants on the platform of the party had earlier withdrawn from the exercise.
Those who withdrew, according to a statement on Thursday, are a former governorship aspirant, Kayode Ojo; Demola Popoola; former Minister of Works, Senator Dayo Adeyeye; House of Representatives member, Femi Bamisile; Bamidele Faparusi; National Assembly member, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele; and Afolabi Oluwasola.
They alleged that the primary election committee was made up of loyalists of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, claiming that the governor was attempting to impose Oyebanji on them.
The statement reads, “The seven aspirants herein received with rude shock and dismay the purported list of local government election committee and ward election committee made up solely by party members and political appointees that had before now openly endorsed the candidacy of Biodun Oyebanji the immediate past secretary to the state government.
“It is on record that the government of Governor Kayode Fayemi has given its unwavering support to the candidacy of Biodun Oyebanji, it is common knowledge that the Governor and most appointees of the governor are openly rooting for and supporting Biodun Oyebanji’s aspiration to become the flag bearer of our great party.
“What is more disturbing is the fact that a simple glance at the names of the persons appointed as members of both committees would reveal that it is made up of appointees of government who are all supporters of a candidate in the primary election they are appointed to superintend on.
“The seven candidates herein are loyal, faithful and committed party members who are sincerely concerned about the chances of the party in the forthcoming 2022 governorship election where an imposition is allowed to override a democratic primary election for determining its flag bearer.
“We request that both the local government election committee and ward election committee that were constituted on the list already in circulation be disbanded and replaced with names that would reinforce internal democracy and uphold the aims and objectives of the party.”
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