Many governors took steps towards realising their second term ambitions in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries held yesterday.
Borno
Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, scored 1,411 votes from 1,560 voters registered for the exercise.
He thanked the delegates and stakeholders for another opportunity to lead Borno.
On his being linked with the Vice President position, he said: “While I thank those who may be considering me for the position of VP, I prefer to stay back and work drastically for the people of Borno State because for me as a citizen of Borno, working with others to hastily rebuild the state is the most urgent need and it is beyond any aspiration.”
Kebbi
National President, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Dr Nasir Idris Gwandu, won the governorship primary in Kebbi State.
He scored 1055 votes to defeat Alhaji Abubakar Gari Malam, who scored 35 votes and Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, who got no votes.
Lagos
With 1,170 delegate votes in his favour, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu won the primary for the election next year.
The party members defied the downpour to actively participate in the exercise at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan; they filed under the rain and cast their votes to approve the Governor’s second term ticket.
The Alhaji Adamu Shettima-led Yuguda Primaries Committee accredited the 1,198 delegates out of the 1,225 billed to cast their votes.
Two aspirants -Abdulhameed Olorunfemi Mustapha and Wale Oluwo – were however disqualified by the committee.
Ogun
Former Governor Ibikunle Amosun and two governorship aspirants- Adekunle Akinlade and Modele Sarafa—were absent from the primary that produced incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun as the APC candidate.
Abiodun polled 1,168 to defeat five other aspirants who were announced as scoring no votes.
Remilekun Bakare, Owodunni Opayemi and Biyi Otegbeye were, like Yusuf, absent.
They were however represented by agents. However, only Yusuf hailed the governor for winning the shadow poll.
Wale Ohu, the chairman of the five-man APC governorship primaries committee, formally declared Abiodun as the winner.
Rivers
Businessman, Tonye Cole won the APC ticket in Rivers State.
He polled 986 votes against Ojukaiye Amachree’s 190 and Sokonte Davies’ 49.
He will square it up with the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Siminialayi Fubara and others in next year’s governorship poll.
Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide commended the two main political parties in the state for producing their candidates from the riverine part of the state.
The council, in a statement by its President, Peter Timothy Igbifa, called on other ethnic nationalities in the state to support the quest for a riverine governor in the state in 2023.
But an APC prominent aspirant, Magnus Abe explained that he boycotted the primary because it was merely a charade.
Abe, who said he was still in the race, failed to state how his ambition would be realised. “What is being set up today is a charade,” he said as he vowed not to accept its outcome.
Yobe
Governor Mai Mala Buni was affirmed as the sole candidate of the party for the governorship election next year.
A total of 805 delegates chorused ‘yes’ for the governor out of the 825 that were accredited.
Chairman of the Electoral Committee Umar Kareto announced the result and declared Buni, a former APC Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) chairman, as the winner.
The governor thanked the party for giving him the opportunity again to fly its flag in 2023.
He promised to do more if elected in the General election come next year.
