Fifty-two aspirants on Saturday contested for the available 26 tickets for the Ekiti State House of Assembly on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The state Chairman of the PDP, Chief Idowu Faleye, said the party would ensure that credible candidates emerge from the party’s primary organised to pick its candidates for the House of Assembly election coming up next year.
Speaking at the party’s state secretariat in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday on the exercise that took place in the 26 constituencies across the state, Faleye said there was the need to pick credible candidates for the poll, since the party would slug it out with other parties in general elections.
He also denied claims by some people that some leaders in the party had imposed their candidates on the party.
Faleye said: “We have prepared well for the exercise.
“Materials have been sent to all the centres where the exercise will take place.
“The five-man team from our national headquarters are in the state from Abuja monitoring the exercise.
“Apart from today’s event, there is room for anybody not satisfied to appeal.
“We are not shutting out anybody.
“We need to have candidates without blemish to emerge and we are not going to compromise that standard.
“For today’s exercise, 52 aspirants are contesting for 26 tickets for the House of Assembly.
“The number could have been higher, but some people stepped down.”
Faleye commended security agents for providing the needed cover for the exercise.
Speaking in the same vein, the Special Adviser, Political, to the Governor, Alhaji Ademola Bello, expressed optimism that the event would be hitch-free.
Bello emphasised the need for patriotic and credible persons to be voted into the Assembly.
He said the state was witnessing crisis between the executive and legislative arms of government due to self-centredness on the part of some lawmakers.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
