After weeks of political drama and campaigns, the All Progressives Congress held governorship primaries across states in the country.
The primaries which had its share of political drama with some aspirants walking out and some condemning the process have produced winners in several states from Lagos and Ogun states where incumbents Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Dapo Abiodun, respectively, secured tickets for their second term bids to Ebonyi and Abia where fresh candidates emerged.
Here are details of winners from the exercise.
Lagos
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu won in Lagos State after two other aspirants – former Commissioner of Energy, Mr Wale Oluwo and former Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of Energy, Mr Mustapha Olorunfemi – were not cleared for the primary.
More than 1,225 delegates were expected to cast their votes in the exercise and 1,198 were accredited.
Of those accredited, 1,182 votes were cast with 12 regarded as invalid.
Ogun
In Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun won by 1,168 votes to defeat five other aspirants.
However, two of the aspirants, Adekunle Akinlade and Biyi Otegbeye, had rejected the chairmanship of the election committee and passed a vote of no confidence on the Chairman of the governorship election primaries, Wale Ohu.
The aspirants, in a jointly signed press statement, also expressed reservations on the delegate list used for the exercise held at the Moshood Abiola stadium in Abeokuta, the state capital.
ABIA
Chief Ikechi Emenike emerged winner in Abia State.
Emenike, an economist, is the Chairman and Chief Executive of Development Resources Limited.
He polled 672 votes to defeat others in the race.
Ahead of the primaries, Emenike was jostling for the APC’s governorship ticket in the state with six other aspirants.
However, three of the aspirants walked out of the venue of the primaries on Thursday. They based their walkout on the decision to use indirect process for the primary.
YOBE
Former national caretaker of the APC, Mai Mala Buni, came up trumps in Yobe as he seeks re-election.
Buni was declared winner of the primary after scoring 805 out of the total votes of 890.
The primary, which held at an event centre in Damaturu, was contested solely by Buni, according to Chairman of the election committee, Umar Lawan Kareto.
Cross River
In Cross River, Senator Sandy Onor was declared winner.
Senator Onor polled 236 votes defeating his closet opponent Senator
Gershom Bassey with 175 votes to become the party’s flag-bearer for the 2023 general elections.
Ebonyi
Honourable Ogbonna Nwifuru won the primary in Ebonyi State.
Chairman of the Electoral Committee for the APC primary in the state declared him the winner after announcing that he polled 743 delegate votes to defeat other aspirants.
His closest rival in the race was Rosemary Okofe who got 63 votes.
Others were Ucha Ali Julius, Edward Nkwegu, and Elias Mbam.
The primary election was held at the Pa Oruta Ngele Township Stadium in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
ZAMFARA
Governor Bello Matawalle emerged the governorship candidate in Zamfara State.
The Chairman Electoral Committee for the APC governorship primary election in the state, Babagana Tijani, announced that Matawalle polled 733 votes to emerge as the winner of the primary election.
The governor secured the ticket for his second term bid unopposed as other aspirants in the race withdrew from the contest as a result of the consensus arrangement which the APC in Zamfara State adopted as the mode of the exercise.
At the primary, 735 delegates voted with the governor getting 733 votes, while two votes were invalid.
GOMBE
In Gombe State, Governor Inuwa Yahaya, emerged as the APC flag bearer for the 2023 gubernatorial election in the State.
Yahaya who stood as a sole aspirant in the primary election received an overwhelming affirmation through a voice vote of 563 accredited State delegates.
The Chairman APC Governorship Primary Election Committee in charge of Gombe State, Dr. Danjuma Dabo presided over the exercise in the presence of INEC officials led by the Gombe State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Umar Ibrahim.
NASARAWA
Governor Abdullahi Sule has won the All Progressives Congress governorship primaries in Nasarawa State.
Sule was declared winner by the Chairman of the State APC Governorship Primary Election Committee, Ahmed Ibeto, after polling 698 votes to beat his contender, Fatma Abdullahi, who polled three votes.
Some 701 delegates participated in the elections which took place at the City Hall in Lafia.
Fatima Abdullahi, while congratulating Governor Sule, promised her support for his second term bid.
RIVERS
Mr Tonye Cole has emerged as winner of the All Progressives Congress’ governorship primary.
Reacting to his emergence, Mr Cole promised to prioritise education, youth development, industrialisation and more if elected as the next Governor of the state.
He expressed confidence that his emergence will bring victory to the APC in 2023.
Earlier, one of the contestants in the primary, Senator Magnus Abe, had vowed not to accept the outcome of the primary.
Senator Abe at a media briefing at Freedom House, his campaign office in the new GRA of Port Harcourt, said the process that produced the delegates for the primary was not credible.
He, however, said that he must be on the ballot for next year’s election, but did not give details whether or not he would challenge the result in court or decamp to another political party to achieve his dream.
KATSINA
Senator Garba Yakubu Lado Danmarke has emerged as the winner of the Katsina Peoples Democratic Party gubernatorial primary held on Thursday.
The Electoral Committee Chairman, Mr. Chika Nwozuzu, declared Danmarke the winner of the primaries at about 12: 55 am on Friday.
He announced that Danmarke polled 740 votes to beat his closest rival Salisu Yusuf Majigiri who scored 257 votes, and two others.
The other aspirants, Ahmed Yar’Adua and Shehu Inuwa Imam, got 53 and 44 votes, respectively.
A total of 1,117 delegates drawn from the 34 local government areas of the state took part in the primaries held at the party headquarters, Katsina
In all, 1,108 delegates were accredited out of the 1,117 with 10 invalid, while four accredited delegates that didn’t vote the after accreditation.
BORNO
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has secured the ticket of the All Progressives Congress to run for a second term.
The Governor was unopposed in the primary election which was held on Thursday in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Although he was the sole aspirant, the primary was conducted with 1,422 delegates accredited and 1,411 valid votes went to him.
Chairman of the APC primary election committee in the state, Uba Maigari, declared Zulum the winner at the end of the exercise.
In his acceptance speech, the governor thanked the delegates for endorsing him and assured them that he would work to tackle security challenges in the state and pursue the development of the state.
Zulum, 52, was elected governor of Borno State in the 2019 general elections. Prior to becoming governor, he was the Commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement in the state. He held the position from 2015 to 2018.
He is also a professor who spent more than a decade lecturing at the University of Maiduguri.
NIGER
A member of the House of Representatives, representing Chanchaga Federal Constituency, Hon. Umar Bago has emerged the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Niger State.
Bago polled 386 votes to beat his closest rival, Publisher of Blueprints Newspaper, Idris Malagi, who raked in 154 votes.
Similarly, a former Minister of Sports, Sani Ndanusa came a distant third with 84 votes while the incumbent Niger State Deputy Governor, Ahmed Ketso got 17 votes to clinch the fourth position in the contest.
Other contestants who were opponents of the APC’s governorship flagbearer in the 2023 general elections include the state Deputy Governor, Ahmed Ketso, Mohammed Kutigi, Aliyu Idris, Sani Ndanusa, Idris Malagi, Rufai Mohammed, Idris Makaranta, and Mohammed Kpautagi.
The Chief Retiring Officer for the exercise, Barrister Nasir Juju announced that about 1, 049 delegates were accredited to participate in the elections which was held at the Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, Minna.
While announcing the results, Juju said Bago had the highest votes in the elections held in Minna, adding that “Therefore, I, Barr Nasir Ibrahim as the chairman Electoral committee, declare Hon Umaru Bago as the winner of the elections.”
In his acceptance speech, Bago appreciated God for the success of the elections.
He equally called on the party supporters to suspend celebration of his victory at the party’s Primary election, saying “We are not yet there, we still have work ahead to do. It is my prayer that APC forms the next Government in the state.”
Bago also thanked the state Governor, Abubakar Bello for providing a level playing field for all the aspirants, while calling on other aspirants and their campaign committees to kindly sheath their swords for the good of the party and residents of the state.
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