Senator Ademola Adeleke representing Osun West Senatorial District at the National Assembly has won the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship ticket for the September 22 election in the state.
The 58-year-old well-known for dancing in public won the party primary held on Saturday with 1,569 votes.
His closest rival was Chairman of Mutual Assurance, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, who polled 1,562 after the votes were recounted.
A former Secretary to the Osun State Government, Fatai Akinbade, scored 52 votes while a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Nathaniel Oke, polled three votes. A total of 56 votes were rejected.
Adeleke will contest the governorship election with the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gboyega Oyetola.
Some of the aspirants announced their withdrawal from the governorship primary before the exercise, which was held at the premises of GMT Hotel and Events Centre, started.
Some of the aspirants who announced their withdrawal from the governorship primary, were Prof. Adeolu Durotoye, a former Minister of Youth Development Olasunkanmi Akinlabi and Felix Ogunwale.
Other aspirants who equally withdrew their participation included Chief Lere Oyewunmi, former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adejare Bello, and Ayoade Adewopo.
Chairman of the Osun State PDP Governorship Electoral Panel, Seriake Dickson, had a hectic time as he was almost on his feet throughout the duration of the voting, which ended at 7.30pm.
Dickson, who is the Bayelsa State Governor, had earlier in his speech said the delegates would pick the most popular aspirant as the flagbearer of the party in the governorship poll holding on September 22, stressing that the panel would not tamper with the wish of the people.
He said, “This exercise will be free, fair, transparent and credible. The delegates will pick the candidate of the party. We won’t tamper with the wish of the people.”
Security agents had to fire tear gas canisters at the crowd towards the evening when some hoodlums, outside the venue, were said to have attempted to force their way inside.
Adeleke became a senator after winning a by-election following the death of his brother and former governor of Osun State, Isiaka Adeleke, on April 23, 2017.
