APC guber primaries: Ganduje, Badaru, Adelabu, Aliyu, Umara-Zulum, Yahaya, Cole emerge candidates

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has clinched the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2019 governorship ticket with 2,740,847 votes at the just concluded primaries in the North-West state.
The Chief Returning Officer for the election, Dr Pius Odubu, announced the result of the election at the state party secretariat in Kano on Monday.
He said: “After collating all the results in the just-concluded gubernatorial primary election conducted by the All Progressives Congress (APC), the total votes secured by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje is 2,740,847.”
The system of direct primaries was employed in electing the sole candidate.
In his remarks, Ganduje expressed satisfaction with the result and commended the peaceful conduct of party members during the exercise.
“Our dear electorate have faith in what we are doing in our effort to strengthen democracy and sustain the development projects, programmes and policies.”
The exercise was generally considered to be peaceful in all the 484 wards of the 44 local governments in the state.
In Jigawa State, incumbent Governor Muhammad Badaru, on Monday, secured the mandate of party members to be the party’s candidate.
Announcing the result of the primaries held in the state, Chairman of the committee that conducted the exercise, Senator Abubakar Yar’Adua, said Badaru scored 3,123 votes to defeat his only opponent, Mr Ubale Hasheem, who got 54 votes.
Yar’Adua explained that 3,828 delegates across the 27 Local Government Areas of the state participated in the election.
According to him, 35 votes were declared invalid while 500 of the delegates who collected ballot papers but did not vote.
In his acceptance speech, Badaru described the endorsement as a “vote of confidence” for him to continue the good work he had started.
“I promised you that you will never regret voting me to recontest in 2019 general eletions.
“I also hope that the gesture will bring more unity among all APC members, to ensure massive victory in the general elections,” the governor said.
In Oyo State, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Adebayo Adelabu, emerged the candidate.
Mr Demola Seriki, the Chairman of the Congress Committee, declared Adelabu as the party’s flag bearer after a primary election on Monday morning at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex in Ibadan.
Adelabu was announced the winner having polled 4,889 votes to defeat Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala and Adeduntan, who polled 65 and seven votes, respectively.
Seriki said that 205 void votes were recorded out of the 5,203 accredited delegates for the exercise which ended lasted till the early hours of Monday.
He commended the aspirants and delegates for their orderliness, saying the process is transparent, free and fair.
The national secretariat of the party had earlier cleared seven aspirants from the state to participate in the governorship primaries.
The seven aspirants were Adelabu, Alao-Akala, Adeduntan, Dr Olusola Ayandele, Mr Joseph Tegbe, Dr Owolabi Babalola and Chief Niyi Akintola.
But four of the aspirants, namely Ayandele, Tegbe, Babalola and Akintola announced their withdrawal from the race at the venue of the primaries.
The duo of Alao-Akala and Adeduntan were absent at the primaries and had on Saturday through different statements announced their decision to stay away from the primaries.
In his acceptance speech, Adelabu thanked Governor Abiola Ajimobi and party members for their support, pledging not to disappoint them.
He stated that the governor has raised the bar of governance in the state with several legacies, promising to continue with the template.
The governorship candidate said that there was no winner and loser in the contest, saying they will all work together to make the state greater.
The primary election was attended by Ajimobi; his wife, Florence; the Deputy Governor, Chief Moses Adeyemo; and the Speaker, Mr Joshua Ojo, among others.
In Sokoto, the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu, has emerged the flagbearer of the party.
Announcing the result on Monday in Sokoto, the Chairman, APC Gubernatorial Primary Election in the state, Alhaji Sulaiman Abubakar, said the election was contested by four aspirants.
Abubakar said that a total of 3,606 votes were cast out of the 4,600 votes during the primary election.
He said that Aliyu scored 2,282 votes to defeat his closest rival, Alhaji Faruk Yabo, who scored 837 votes.
Abubakar said that Alhaji Abubakar Gumbi got 70 votes, while Senator Abubakar Gada had 20 votes.
The Chairman added that 397 votes were invalid.
In his acceptance speech, Aliyu thanked the delegates for electing him as the candidate for 2019 election.
He assured delegates that he would work to ensure unity among party members for the progress of APC.
Aliyu also urged those who lost in the contest to support his candidacy in order to ensure APC victory in the 2019 general elections.
Earlier, the state APC Chairman, Alhaji Isa Achida, called on all party members to always protect party interest above any candidate’s to ensure victory for the party.
“Our commitment today is to ensure a free, fair and credible primary election and such will remain because a as progressive party we always do for others to follow.
“As such we will continue to sustain such effort toward ensuring the success of APC and electoral process in the country,” Achida said.
In Borno State, Prof. Babagana Umara-Zulum emerged winner of the exercise.
Declaring the result of the election, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Ahmed El-Marzuq,  disclosed that Umara-Zulum scored 4, 432 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Alhaji Idris Durkwa, who polled 114 votes.
‪Marzuq revealed that Alhaji Gambo Lawan scored two votes, while Alhaji Mustapha Baba Shehuri; ‪Ambassador Baba Jidda and Maigira Atom got one vote each.
He explained that about 317 votes were declared invalid, adding that 5,012 delegates participated in the election.
A total of 21 aspirants were cleared by the party for the governorship primary election in the state.
Ten of the 21 candidates withdrew from the race and threw their support behind Zulum, while four others abstained from the election.
Among those that withdrew from the race were Kaka Shehu; Sen. Baba-Kaka Bashir Garbai, Sen. Habu Kyari, Mohammed Makintami and Adamu Dibal.
Others were Adamu Zaufanjinba; Alhaji Mai Sheriff, Babagana Tijjani Banki, Mohammed Liman and Mustapha Fannarambe.
Those who abstained the election were Mutawwalli Kashim Imam; Mustapha Baba-Shehuri, Amb. Baba Ahmed Jidda and Abba Jato.
Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya was declared winner of the exercise in Gombe State.
Declaring the results of the primary election on Monday in Gombe, the Chairman of  Electoral  Committee, Alhaji Habu Baworo, said Yahaya defeated eight other aspirants by polling 859 votes.
He said  Alhaji Mohammed Barde came second in the election by  scoring 463 votes, adding that Alhaji Faruk Bamusa was in  third position with 139 vote, while former Minister of Transport,  Abdullahi Idris, had 68 votes and Muhammadu Kwairaga scored 54 votes.
He said other candidates were  Malam Abubakar Mu’azu, 49 votes; Malam Dasuki Jalo, 28 votes; Malam Kamisu Mailantarki, nine votes and Aliyu Haidar, five votes.
Addressing the party supporters after the election, Yahaya thanked the delegates and other stakeholders and solicited the support the other contestants toward the victory of party in 2019 governorship elections in the state.
He also lauded the peaceful and  successful conduct of the primary election resulting in his emergence.
A Lagos-based billionaire businessman, Tonye Cole, emerged the winner of the exercise in Rivers State.
Colonel Lawal Isa (rtd.), Chairman, APC Governorship Primary Election Committee for the South-South state, announced that Cole, an oil mogul,  secured 3,329 votes to defeat other aspirants.
Isa commended the delegates for the peaceful manner they conducted themselves during the voting at the Igboukwu Field in Port Harcourt on Saturday.
He stated that Dr. Dawari George secured 491 votes, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs secured 38 votes and Sen. Magnus Abe one vote.
He said that a total of 18 votes were declared invalid.
The APC National Secretariat approved indirect mode of Primary Election in Rivers.
Senator Magnus Abe and Chief Lulu-Briggs were absent during the election. No agent represented the duo.
However, Abe organised a parallel primary, which returned him as the governorship candidate.