May 24, (THEWILL) – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries for Lagos West and Lagos East Senatorial districts, were determined in the early hours of Tuesday, with Otunba Segun Adewale (Aeroland) and Nicholas Akobada, emerging as winners respectively.
The primaries, which should have started by 10 am on Monday, did not start until 12 am on Tuesday. Adewale polled 264 votes to defeat his only rival, Yomi Ogungbe, who polled two votes.
Akobada polled 74 votes to emerge the Senatorial candidate for Lagos East, defeating his closest rival, Yeye Agnes Adenike-Shobajo, who polled 63 votes.
Announcing the result, the returning officers, Mr Daniel Ochu-Baiye, who is the Chairman of the PDP Electoral Committee, said that Akobada scored 74 votes to defeat his closest rival, Yeye Agnes Adenike-Shobajo, who polled 63 votes.
Announcing the result on Tuesday morning at the PDP Secretariat in Somolu, venue of exercise, Ochu-Baiye, declared Akobada as the winner of the primary election, having scored the highest votes.
“With 74 votes, the winner of this election is Hon. Akobada Nicholas. He has the highest votes and he won. I hereby declare him winner of this election”, Ochu-Baiye said.
He said the other aspirants, Mr Obadiaru Adebayo, scored 16 votes, while Princess Saidat Odofin-Fafore polled two votes.
The exercise was not without some hitches and protests over allegation of fake delegate list, particularly when the ad hoc delegates from Ikorodu, with about 58 ad hoc delegates, were voting.
The development came after delegates from four out of the five local government areas that made up the senatorial distinct had voted.
Delegates from Somolu, Kosofe, Epe and Ibeju-Lekki, had voted before the disruption.
This led to protests by delegates from Ikorodu, who insisted that names of delegates on the list brought by the electoral committee were not authentic.
After much noise, the committee declared the election inconclusive, citing security risk and left, but later came back to announce the result and declared the winner.
After the party’s ad hoc delegates waited endlessly since Monday morning for the exercise, the electoral committee showed up at 11:50p.m.
The accreditation and voting, however, started simultaneously at 12:03 a.m. on Tuesday and ended at 1:40 a.m.
The exercise was conducted under the watch of heavy security officers and monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mr Akanbi Abidakun, who led the INEC team to observe the primary, said that the entire process was orderly and that the electoral committee followed due process.
At the venue for Lagos West primaries were delegates from eight out of ten local government areas that made up the Senatorial zone, reported to cast their votes, a total of 356 votes were cast.
Adewale in his remark after being declared the winner, thanked the delegates, members of the electoral committee and INEC officials for their patience and endurance.
He, however, urged the people to register, so that they can vote for the candidate of their choice.
“People are suffering now, they need to just get registered and go and vote on that day next year.
“It is not enough for them to vote, they have to stay and secure their votes, that is the way things can get better in Nigeria, it is not enough to go on WhatsApp platform and be talking about desired changes on social media.
“You have to participate in politics and governance for us to see a new Nigeria.
“It is not my making, I really want to thank God for that because I really did not put much effort, compared to 2015 and I am getting results.
“I want to also thank my leader, Chief Bode George, for giving me the opportunity and Olajide Adediran (Jandor), for going all out and giving me the opportunity to work with him.
“Now this is the first hurdle I am crossing, I am so overwhelmed and I thank God”, Adewale said.
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
