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.
PUNCH correspondent saw the governor's convoy drove past the venue and
ascend the Third Mainland Bridge around 11am.
Sources told PUNCH 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.
Read full list here:
http://www.punchng.com/news/tambuwal-ambode-others-win-apc-governorship-ticket/
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