Osun Guber Race: Confusion As Two Candidates Lay Claim To PDP Ticket

The crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State is yet to subside as as two candidates – Senator Ademola Adeleke and Prince Dotun Babayemi – are laying claim to the opposition’s party ticket, having being elected in separate primary elections in Osogbo, the state capital.

Two candidates emerged at the just concluded PDP Primary election on Tuesday.

CityMirrorNews reports that the party held a parallel primary election whereby the two factions elected their candidates simultaneously.

While Ademola Adeleke emerged as the elected candidate of Hon. Sunday Bisi’s faction, Prince Dotun Babayemi was declared winner at Barr. Wale Ojo’s faction.

Hon. Adelani Ajanaku, the returning officer at Ojo’s faction held at WOCDIF centre, Osogbo announced the result as: Total votes– 1907; Void votes– 27; Valid votes –1880.

Breakdown of the candidates results were given as follows: Sanya Omirin– 16; Dr Akin Ogunbiyi– 23; Fatai Akinbade –28; Dele Adeleke– 32; Dotun Babayemi 1781.

Former Governor of Osun, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola presented the party’s flag to Prince Dotun Babayemi and declared him as the flag bearer of PDP.

In his acceptance speech, Babayemi commended the peaceful primary held, describing it as the most peaceful since the commencement of the current democratic dispensation in the country.

He appreciated the elders of the party who had earlier endorsed him and assured him of their support.

He also expressed gratitude to the party contestants who had withdrawn from the race to allow him fly the flag of the party.

Babayemi said, “the current maladministration of the APC in the state must come to an end if indeed we are desirous of stalling the current spate of visible infrastructural decay across the state.

“The state residents and indigenes look up unto us to save them, therefore we must roll-up our sleeves and squarely face the task of saving our people and unborn generations from the APC maladministration.

“I, Omooba Dotun Babayemi hereby accept to serve as our party’s flag-bearer in the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State.”

At the Bisi led faction, Senator Ademola Adeleke was declared the winner after the election.

Here is the breakdown of the votes: Ademola Adeleke –1,887; Fatai Akinbade –Nil; Dotun Babayemi –Nil; Akin Ogunbiyi –Nil; Sanya Omirin –04; Dele Adeleke –01; Invalid votes –24

The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo who is the Chairman of the Osun Governorship Primary election committee from the National Secretariat in Abuja was at the Osogbo City Stadium to oversee the electoral process.

Ewhrudjakpo declared Ademola Adeleke as the winner and PDP’s gubernatorial candidate for the July 16, 2022.

“By the power conferred on me as the Chief Returning Officer of this gubernatorial primary, we hereby collectively declared Adeleke Ademola Jackson as the winner of this gubernatorial primary for 2022 governorship election in Osun,” he said.

Ewhrudjakpo urged all other aspirants to join hands with the winner to win the July 16 governorship election in the state.

He also said that there was no parallel election in the state, adding that any other election apart from the one he supervised would not be recognised by the national headqurters of the party.

“The king is here and the crown is here. This is the authentic congress and any other one conducted in any other place will not be recognised”, he said.

Adeleke, in his acceptance speech said they there all winners as he called for collaboration in preparation for the state election.

He said, ” We are all winners. Let’s work together to rescue people of the state from the All Progressives Congress government.

“By God’s grace, PDP win will July 16 governrship election by a landslide to claim our stolen mandate.

“Our manifesto will be released in few days time,” he added.