FOR the All Progressives Congress the 2015
contests got underway on Thursday with state
chapters electing their governorship candidates.
The APC governorship candidates for the 2015
polls, as they emerged on Thursday, include
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu
Tambuwal (Sokoto); a Fellow of the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and public
administrator, Akinwunmi Abode(Lagos); a former
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir el-
Rufai (Kaduna); and second-term-seeking
governors, Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Abdulfattah
Ahmed (Kwara) and Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo).
Others are, a member representing Andoni/
Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency in the House
of Representatives, Mr. Dakuku Peterside
(Rivers); Olorogun O’tega Emerhor (Delta); Chief
Okey Ezea (Enugu); a former Secretary to the
Akwa Ibom State Government, Mr. Umana
Umana (Akwa Ibom), Ibrahi Gaidam (Yobe),
Umaru Al-Makura (Nasarawa) and Abdulaziz Yari
(Zamfara).
For one, hardly was any of the outcome of the
state primaries a surprise as the candidates that
emerged in states like Lagos, Sokoto, Kaduna
and some others all match predictions by
pundits.
In Lagos State for instance, Akinwunmi Ambode,
who defeated 12 other aspirants, had remained
in public discourse as the anointed candidate of
Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos and a
national leader and financier of the APC.
Though he has worked for the state for several
years and in fact reputed to be the brains behind
the awesome internal revenue being generated by
the state today, Ambode obviously lacks
requisite political experience to singly defeat
some of his co-aspirants.
Those defeated by Ambode included the Speaker
of the Lagos State House of Assembly for the
past eight years, Adeyemi Ikuforiji; and serving
senator representing Lagos West in the National
Assembly, Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon.
The other aspirants that lost to Ambode in the
high politics of Thursday at the Onikan Stadium
are: a former Attorney General and Commissioner
for Justice, Olasupo Sasore, said to be a
favourite of the outgoing Governor Babatunde
Fashola; a former Commissioner for Health, Leke
Pitan; an incumbent Commissioner for Works,
Obafemi Hamzat; a former aide to Tinubu, Mr.
Tayo Ayinde; Mr. Adekunle Disu, Mr. Wahab
Tokunbo, Mr. Olanrewaju Ope and a former
Commissioner for Rural Affairs, Mr. Tola Kasali.
Curiously, both Fashola and Tinubu were absent
at the Onikan primaries as of the time of this
report late Thursday though delegates were still
hopeful that Tinubu would still appear at the
venue.
Our correspondent saw the governor’s convoy
drove past the venue and ascend the Third
Mainland Bridge around 11am.
Sources told our correspondent that the governor
was not happy with the conduct of the
primaries.
One of the aspirants, who asked not to be
named, said, “The way things are going, there
may be mass defection from this party as even
the governor might leave soon.
Tinubu has
emasculated all of us, including Fashola who is
not even being given a say.
“We planned to shun the primaries in protest
after the party refused to postpone it following
our request but we all agreed to come so that
we can observe it properly in case the matter is
taken to court. In any case, the dubious manner
in which the state congress was carried out is
already at a Federal High Court so there is a
high possibility that the result of this event will
be nullified.
“Only Tinubu has the list of the delegates and
most of us were not able to reach out to them.
This is most unfortunate.”
Sokoto
In Sokoto, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal’s defection
from the Peoples Democratic Party had
apparently been negotiated and the APC
governorship ticket is the prize.
Tambuwal polled 3,466 votes to emerge tops
ahead of four other contenders.
Others with their respective votes include
Professor Lawal Bashir (0), Yusha’u Ahmed
Kebbe (13), Senator Umaru Dahiru Tambawal
(23) and Jibrin Bello Gada(0)
The primaries were held at the Giginya Memorial
Stadium with over 3,000 delegates from across
the 23 local governments and a total of 244
wards.
Declaring the result before INEC officials,
delegates and agents of the aspirants, Chairman
of the four-man electoral panel, Bolaji Khalil,
said, having successfully conducted the
governorship primaries and by the power
conferred on him by the party’ headquarters,
pronounced Tambuwal as the winner.
A total of 10 invalid votes were recorded at the
exercise which lasted hours.
The Speaker attributed his victory to Allah and
commended the dedication and peaceful conduct
of the electoral panel under Bolaji Khalil.
Enugu
Chairman of the Enugu APC, Dr. Ben Nwoye,
said the members unanimously adopted the
candidature of Ezea.
Nwoye said the emergence of the candidate had
thrown up a huge challenge to the ruling PDP,
adding the time was rife for the APC to pick up
the mantle of leadership in the state.
Addressing the delegates, Ezea said the mandate
was a collective one for all the party members to
persuade the people of Enugu to vote for the
party.
He reminded the party’s executives at the ward
level that it was their job to take the campaign
to the grass roots and convince the people to
vote it into power.
The candidate promised to introduce free
education in primary and secondary schools
while also providing free health care for the
aged, children and expectant mothers.
He called on the people of the state to give the
party a chance to correct the ‘‘misrule’’ in the
state in the past 16 years.
Ogun
In Ogun where Amosun was the sole aspirant, it
was a smooth ride for the governor. His deputy,
Prince Segun Adesegun, has already run to the
new Social Democratic Party on the platform of
which he said he would also be contesting the
governorship next year.
The primaries, which held under tight security,
saw the governor securing 3,861 votes.
The event was supervised by state and national
representatives of the Independent National
Electoral Commission headed by Kehinde
Mustapha.
In an interview with journalists after casting his
vote, Amosun, who described the exercise as
peaceful, said the outcome was a call on him to
do more for the people of the state.
However, Adesegun said he had put what
happened between him and the governor behind
him, and that he was concerned with how to
move the state forward.
He said, “I want to formally inform you today
that I have formally joined the Social Democratic
Party, where I will contest as one of the
governorship aspirants.
“Today I have with me some leaders of the party.
We have gone round the 20 local governments in
the state, and I am happy with the response
from the people; I believe the party will move the
state forward.”
Oyo
In Oyo, Governor Ajimobi defeated the son of a
former governor of the state, late Lam Adesina,
Dr. Ayobami Lam-Adesina, to secure his second
term ticket.
At the party’s primary conducted by Lumumba
Adeh-led five-man electoral committee, Ajimobi
polled 4,662 votes to defeat his only challenger,
who polled 22 votes. Ninety of the total votes
were declared invalid while the result was
declared at 7.40 pm.
The third aspirant, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, who
was on Monday cleared in Lagos to contest
along with the two others, however, pulled out of
the race on Wednesday when he filed 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.
Shittu, who is a former Commissioner for Justice
and Attorney General in the state, had contested
against Ajimobi in 2011 as a candidate of the
Congress for Progressive Change.
He shunned
the Thursday congress.
Adeh, before the exercise commenced, said, “We
had three aspirants screened by the APC
Screening Committee and they are Barrister
Adebayo Shittu, Dr. Wasiu Abayomi Lam-Adesina
and Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
“Yesterday (Wednesday), we had interaction with
all the aspirants but one of the aspirants,
Barrister Adebayo Shittu, indicated that he was
not going to participate in the exercise.
“He submitted a petition but that would not stop
the exercise; and it is by way of information. His
petition or letter will be forwarded to the national
secretariat of the party.”
In his address after the victory, Ajimobi
expressed the optimism that having crossed the
first hurdle, it would be easy to concentrate on
the main election and win again.
Rivers
THE Rivers South-East representative in the
National Assembly, Senator Magnus Abe, on
Thursday shunned the APC governorship primary
in the state.
Abe was a frontline aspirant before the
emergence of the member representing Andoni/
Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency in the House
of Representatives, Mr. Dakuku Peterside.
Though no reason was given for Abe absence,
sources said the senator, who had already
picked a senatorial nomination form, might not
be happy over the consensus arrangement that
produced Peterside.
The governorship primary, which was held at the
Alfred Diete-Spiff Civic Centre in Port Harcourt,
became a platform to formally endorse Peterside
as the party’s candidate.
But the Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi,
who spoke at the event, defended the choice of
Peterside.
However, as soon as the governor announced
Peterside as the governorship candidate, some
aggrieved members of the party immediately left
the hall, apparently to express their
dissatisfaction with the process that produced
the candidate.
Amaechi maintained that the decision to pick
Peterside as the consensus candidate of the
party was in the best interest of the people of
the state.
He described Abe and the former Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Odien Ajumogobia, as two
Nigerians he held in high esteem.
He said, “The flag bearer, by God’s grace, is
Dakuku Adolphus Peterside because we sat and
agreed on that. That does not mean that my
bosom friend, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, was
not qualified. I respect his intellect.
“There are two Nigerians I respect their intellect.
They are Senator Magnus Abe and Odein
Ajumogobia. This is the time for that change. We
will fight with everything we have to deliver the
state to the APC. This is our opportunity to
ensure we will not suffer any more.
This is the
time to vote for our party.”
Nasarawa
In Nasarawa, Governor Umaru Al-Makura
emerged the winner thus securing the tickt to
contest for a second term in office.
The governor scored 1,630 out of 2,543 votes to
defeat his rivals- Reuben Audu and James
Angbazo. The fourth aspirant, Stanley Buba, was
said to be absent during the exercise, which held
at the Lafia City Hall after delegates had been
accredited at the Abacha Youth Centre and the
Lafia stadium.
The primaries, supervised by Ike Chinwo, the
chairman of the state APC convention committee
and officials of the Independent National
Electoral Commission, held under heavy security
presence.
Al – Makura described the exercise as peaceful,
thanking the delegates for given him the
opportunity to seek re-election.
Zamfara
The delegates in Zamfara ratified the
candidature of Governor Abdulaziz Yari as the
APC candidate for the 2015 election.
Yari was
unopposed at the primary election, which held at
the Trade fair Complex in Gusau.
Yobe
The Yobe State delegates unanimously endorsed
Governor Ibrahim Gaidam as the party’s
candidate for the 2015 general elections.
The decision was reached after an unopposed
primary election held in Damaturu.
Addressing newsmen after the election, the
Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Malam
Babagana Tijjani, said the endorsement was
sequel to polling a total of 2,219 votes cast to
affirm his ticket.
Tijjani added that the ticket was a reward for the
governor’s performance in office, saying Gaidam
had transformed the state to an enviable height
in the country.
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