All the first term governors under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Thursday, secured their second term tickets across the country at their respective primary elections.
Governors, who made it back to their government houses included Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara), Abdulahi Sule (Nasarawa), Yahaya Inuwa (Gombe) and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara).
Other persons seeking to replace the outgoing governors of their states, who had served two terms of eight years, also emerged in the different states, where elections were held.
Lagos State
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, emerged candidate of the APC in the state, after polling 1,170 delegate votes.
Of all the 1,225 delegates expected to participate in the primaries, the committee accredited 1,198 present at the venue and disqualified two aspirants: Abdulhameed Olorunfemi Mustapha and Wale Oluwo, while officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) monitored the exercise.
Ogun State
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, emerged winner of the state governorship primary of the APC.
Five other aspirants contested against the governor.
The aspirants were Olubiyi Otegbeye, Mrs Modele Sarafa-Yussuf, Mr Owodunni Opayemi, Remilekun Bakare and Abdukadir Akinlade.
Chairman of the Ogun State APC Primary Election Committee, Mr Wale Ohu, disclosed that 1,180 delegates, from the 20 local governments, were accredited for the exercise.
Abiodun polled 1,168 votes, while other aspirants did not secure any vote while two votes were voided.
Kwara State
Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has emerged the duly elected governorship candidate of the APC for next year’s election after polling 964 votes.
Nasarawa State
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, defeated the ex-wife of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Fatima Abdullahi Adamu, to pick the governorship ticket of the party of the state.
He polled 698 votes to defeat the ex-wife of the APC national chairman, Fatima who scored three votes.
Gombe State
Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has secured his second term ticket to run for the governorship of the state in the APC.
The incumbent governor polled 563.
Zamfara State
Governor Muhammad Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has emerged APC governorship candidate for 2023 election.
He emerged unopposed as other candidates withdrew from the race.
Returning Officer for the primaries, Babagana Tijjani Banki, declared the result in Gusau, the state capital, saying a total of 735 delegates from across 14 local government areas of the state affirmed Matawalle unopposed during the exercise.
Ebonyi State
Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon Francis Nwifuru, has emerged the governorship candidate of the APC in the state.
Nwifuru polled a total of 743 to defeat four other Governorship Aspirants of the APC in the state.
Mrs Rosemary Ofoke Nwogbaga, who came a distant second garnered 63 votes, while Senator Julius Ali Ucha, who came third scored 22 votes.
Abia State
A development economist and publisher, Chief Ikechi Emenike, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the APC in Aba State.
Chairman of the APC governorship primary election committee for Abia, Chief Tony Obiefuna, who declared the result of the poll said, Emenike polled 672 votes out of 892 votes cast by 907 accredited delegates to emerge victorious.
Rivers State
A business mogul and former Chief Executive of Sahara Energy, Tonye Cole, has emerged as the APC candidate in Rivers State.
Tonye Cole cinched the APC ticket with a total of 986 votes, defeating former APC Chairman in the state, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, who had 190 votes; Dr Sokonte Davies got 49 and Magnus Abe, got one vote even when he did not participate in the primary.
Delta State
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, was elected the governorship standard bearer of the APC in Delta State.
Omo-Agege polled a total of 1,190 votes, and was returned unopposed by a total of 1,235 accredited delegates of the party at the APC governorship primaries.
Source: THISDAY
