APC Primaries: Ambode tops in Lagos as Tambuwal, Umana, Emerhor, others win

LAGOS — AMID hitches here and there, the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, held governorship primaries across the country to pick its governorship candidates in 31 states where governorship elections will hold next year.

At press time, candidates that emerged from the exercises include Governors Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe) and Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara).

In Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, favoured candidate of APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was set to win the primaries yesterday when voting was concluded at about 10 pm and sorting of ballots began. By then, Ambode was the only aspirant of the 12 in the contest remaining at the venue as others had left before 10 pm.

Other APC aspirants who clinched the party’s tickets include Hon Dakuku Peterside (Rivers), Aisha Alhassan (Taraba), Okey Ezea (Enugu), Olorogun O’tega Emerhor (Delta), Umana Umana (Akwa Ibom), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto).

The primaries were trailed by high-wire politicking, intrigues and violence in some states.

In Oyo, Governor Abiola Ajimobi has secured the ticket of the party to contest the governorship race for the second time.

At the primaries of the party which lasted till 7:45pm yesterday, the governor polled 4,662 votes to defeat his opponents, Dr. Ayobami Wasiu and the son of late Alhaji Lamidi Adesina who polled 92 votes. Ninety votes were declared invalid.

The third aspirant, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, who was on Monday cleared in Lagos to contest along with the two others withdrew after filing a suit at the Federal High Court, Ibadan asking the court to declare the congress invalid and illegal in view of the manner the delegates were selected.

Ogun: Amosun’s deputy opts for SDP

In Ogun, the political atmosphere became charged as the deputy governor of the state, Prince Segun Adesegun declared his intention to run for the governorship on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on a day his estranged boss, Senator Ibikunle Amosun emerged the governorship candidate of the APC.

The two political leaders who were elected on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2011 held separate political gatherings simultaneously few kilometres from each other.

Amosun emerged unopposed as the APC candidate through the party primary held at MKO Abiola Stadium. He polled 3,861 votes in the rancour-free exercise.

While the APC primary was ongoing, the deputy governor, announced his defection from the APC to the SDP to the members of the state executive of the SDP at the Ibara GRA, Abeokuta private residence of former governor of the state, Aremo Olusegun Osoba.

Adesegun told reporters at his lodge in Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta that his decision to run is personal.

Reacting to the defection of his deputy, Amosun said the gesture is one of the beauties of democracy that should be encouraged.

Emerhor floors Tilije for Delta ticket

Olorogun O’tega Emerhor floored Fidelis Tilije in the battle for the Delta State APC governorship ticket held at the Oshimili Arcade, Asaba.

Emerhor polled 3,584 of the 3,752 votes to beat Tilije who polled 165 votes and Princess Nana who got two votes. Two votes were voided. Declaring Emerhor winner, chairman of the primary election committee in the state, Alhaji Aliyu Saad said the election was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere devoid of rancour and it was free and fair.

Fielding questions from newsmen moments after his emergence, Emerhor said his victory was victory for all APC members including those who contested with him. He urged those who ran against him to join hands with him and other party faithful to win the general election for APC in the state. However, Delta State primaries were marred by a controversy, forcing Tilijie and his supporters to walk out in protest. The aggrieved Tilije described the event as a charade.

How Peterside won in Rivers

A member of the House of Representatives and Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s candidate, Hon Dakuku Peterside, picked the ticket in Rivers State in a contest that Senator Magnus Abe shunned.

The Rivers APC caucus last Wednesday adopted Peterside as consensus governorship candidate ahead of Abe.

Chairman of the governorship election panel for the state, Prince Austin Eweka lauded the party in the state for making the job of his panel a very easy one with the earlier adoption of Hon Peterside as its consensus governorship candidate.

Nevertheless, the party still went ahead to conduct the primaries. A total of 3,733 out of 4,321 accredited delegates voted for Mr. Peterside. There were 3,914 valid votes and 140 voided ballots.

Speaking before the primaries, Governor Amaechi who expressed hope that Dakuku would sustain the legacies of his administration if elected governor also lashed at the Federal Government for allegedly ceding some oil wells belonging to the state to Bayelsa and Abia states.

The governor also explained that his loyalists in the state House of Assembly had to be returned in the House of Assembly primaries to reward their loyalty.

Ezea wins in Enugu

A renowned business man and shipping magnet, Chief Okechukwu Ezea, emerged unopposed as the governorship candidate of APC in Enugu State.

The primaries, held at the party’s state secretariat was peaceful as a total of 3,467 delegates from 260 wards in the state, unanimously affirmed him as the party’s candidate for the 2015 governorship election.

In his acceptance speech, Ezea said: “It is a privilege. It is not a right. You have the right to choose who you want. I feel honoured to be given this assignment. It is a joint assignment for all of us. The difference is that my name is written there.

“They gave us mandate to ask Enugu people to vote for APC. For 16 years, PDP has failed our people. They have stolen our money. They have made life difficult for our people. Before 1999, life was better for our people. Now, it is worse. From 2007, PDP government in Enugu State has earned N544 billion. If you look around the state, from Enugu to Oji River, from Enugu to Awgu, from Enugu to Nsukka, is it like a place they have spent N544 billion on?’’

Aspirants protest in Taraba

Three of the eight aspirants in Taraba protested the conduct of the primary in the state won by Jumai Aisha Alhassan.

The aggrieved aspirants, Mohammed Suleiman, Mohammed Ibrahim and Yusufu Akirikwen, alleged that the team conducting the election was doing the bidding of Alhassan.

They told journalists that they asked for the list of delegates prior to the election but they were kept in the dark on all the information relating to the conduct of the exercise held at Jolly Nyame Stadium, Jalingo. Also, the name of one of the aspirants, Ezekiel Afukonyo, was reportedly omitted from the list of contestants. The head of the election panel sent from Abuja, Kola Shittu, promised to brief the press on all the issues later.

Free-for-all in Benue

The crisis rocking the Benue State chapter of the APC deepened yesterday resulting in a free-for-all by top officials of the party at its state secretariat in Makurdi.