Despite protests by some aspirants, the immediate past Secretary to the Ekiti State Government (SSG), Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO), on Thursday, won the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election.
Oyebanji, believed to have the backing of Governor Kayode Fayemi and Minister of Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, defeated other aspirants in the exercise held in the 16 local governments.
As the election was going on, some youths were seen protesting the alleged manipulation of delegates list.
Oyebanji polled 101,703 votes to defeat his challengers, Ojo Kayode who had 767, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, 760 votes and Senator Dayo Adeyeye, 691 votes.
Others are Mr Femi Bamisile, 400; Mr Bamidele Faparusi, 376; Mr Demola Popoola, 239 and Chief Oluwasola Afolabi, 47
The result was announced by the Chairman of the primary election committee, Governor Mohammed Badaru of Jigawa State.
Oyebanji will represent the party in the June 18 governorship election.
However, Bamidele, Adeyeye and Bamisile declared the exercise as fraudulent.
Badaru, who declared Oyebanji the winner at the State Collation Centre, APC Secretariat, located at Ajilosun, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, said: “It is my pleasure to declare Biodun Oyebanji as the winner of this primary, haven scored the highest votes cast.
“Haven satisfied all necessary criteria, I hereby declare Abiodun Abayomi Oyebanji as the winner,” Badaru said.
He added that Ekiti APC had 183,560 registered members, 107,877 members were accredited and total votes cast was 104,983.
The chairman expressed surprise at the allegations by some aspirants that they were not consulted, adding that 20 names were submitted by each of the aspirants to be added to the list of the Returning Officers and they were all captured.
Badaru, however, explained that the meeting that was earlier slated for Thursday morning, between the committee and the aspirants, was cancelled because there was security report that the venue was tensed.
He said they had to call for assistance of security agents to arrest the situation.
The chairman said that the primaries took place across the 177 wards and that it was free and fair.
“However, there are pockets of violence. As we have earlier promised, we have ensured a level playing ground for all aspirants,”the committee chairman added.
On the protest by some of the aspirants, the committee chairman added that he had not received any official petition but only heard about it in the media.
He directed that the Returning Officers of the wards where elections were not held should write their reports and submit same to the committee.
The results presented by the 16 Local Government Area Returning Officers revealed that Oyebanji won in all the council areas.
Six of the eight aspirants had in the morning, protested alleged hijack of the exercise and called for its stoppage and cancellation.
The other two aspirants absent at the protest were Mr Abiodun Oyebanji and Mr Ademola Popoola.
