Adebayo Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and governorship aspirant, has emerged the gubernatorial candidate of All Progressives Congress in Oyo State.
Demola Seriki, the Chairman of the Congress Committee, declared Adelabu as the party’s flag bearer after a primary election on Monday morning at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex in Ibadan.
Adelabu was announced the winner having polled 4,889 votes to defeat Adebayo Alao-Akala and A. Adeduntan, who polled 65 and seven votes respectively.
Seriki said that 205 void votes were recorded out of the 5,203 accredited delegates for the exercise which ended lasted till the early hours of Monday.
He commended the aspirants and delegates for their orderliness, saying the process is transparent, free and fair.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the national secretariat of the party had earlier cleared seven aspirants from the state to participate in the governorship primaries.
The seven aspirants were Adelabu, Alao-Akala, Adeduntan, Dr. Olusola Ayandele, Joseph Tegbe, Dr. Owolabi Babalola and Chief Niyi Akintola.
But four of the aspirants, namely Ayandele, Tegbe, Babalola and Akintola, announced their withdrawal from the race at the venue of the primaries.
The duo of Alao-Akala and Adeduntan were absent at the primaries and had on Saturday through different statements announced their decision to stay away from the primaries.
In his acceptance speech, Adelabu thanked Governor Abiola Ajimobi and party members for their support, pledging not to disappoint them.
He stated that the governor has raised the bar of governance in the state with several legacies, promising to continue with the template.
The governorship candidate said there was no winner and loser in the contest, saying they will all work together to make the state greater.
NAN also reports that the primary election was attended by Ajimobi; his wife, Florence; the Deputy Governor, Chief Moses Adeyemo; and the Speaker, Joshua Ojo, among others.