Lucky Aiyedatiwa, governor of Ondo state, has clinched the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial ticket for the November 16 election.

Usman Ododo, Kogi state governor and chairman of the election organising committee, declared Aiyedatiwa as the winner of the party’s primary in the early hours of Monday.

Ododo said Aiyedatiwa secured 48,569 votes to defeat his closest challengers — Mayowa Akinfolarin who had 15,343 votes and Olusola Oke who polled 14,915 votes.

Aiyedatiwa won in 16 of the 18 LGAs in the state while Oke won in Ilaje local government area.

The election was cancelled in Ifedore LGA due to issues of violence.

CONTROVERSIAL PRIMARY ELECTION

The APC primary election, which started on Saturday, was marred by allegations of irregularities while there were demands for cancellation by the leading contenders.

Several aspirants alleged that no election took place in most parts of the state.

TheCable reporters who monitored the election in Akure failed to witness voting in several wards in the Ondo state capital.

Olusola Oke, Olugbenga Edema, Wale Akinterinwa, Dayo Faduyile and Jimi Odimayo are among the governorship hopefuls who kicked against the conduct of the exercise.

Folakemi Omogoroye, a female governorship hopeful, described the election as a “complete rape of democracy”.

“I am not going to accept it, and now, I am calling for cancellation and if this is not done, maybe we’ll meet in the court,” Omogoroye said.

Despite the criticism and controversy surrounding the election, the Kogi state governor insisted that the process was transparent.

The primary election took place across 203 wards in the 18 LGAs of the state.

The election was rescheduled in all 13 wards of Okitipupa LGA over the late arrival of materials. The rescheduled election, held on Sunday, recorded a low turnout of voters in some wards.

Members of the party staged a protest in Akure on Sunday evening over the conduct of the governorship election.

Adeniran Oyebade, director-general for Olusola Oke campaign organisation in Ondo central, described the primary as “daylight robbery”.

Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi, and Gbenga Edema, one of the hopefuls for the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial ticket in Ondo, engaged in a heated argument on Saturday over the distribution of election material for the party’s primary.

Ododo is the chairman of the seven-member committee overseeing the Ondo APC governorship primary.

The argument started after some members party gathered at the BON Hotel, Akure, where the election materials were scheduled to be distributed.

From the crowd, Edema confronted Ododo, saying that election materials were to be distributed to several wards in the state.

The aspirant added that Ovie Omo-Agege, secretary of the primary election committee, had announced that “accreditation will start by 10 am, to be completed by 1 pm while voting proper will start by 1 pm and end by 2 pm”.

Edema then accused the committee of breaching the protocols for the exercise.

In response, Ododo said election materials have been sent to wards in the north and south senatorial districts in the state.

“I came in this morning as early as past eight for this national assignment to humanity. You claim that there has never been material issued to any of the 203 wards,” the governor said.

“From the brief I have gotten from the secretary of this APC primary election, that of the north and south have been released since morning. And it remains that of the central, which is what we have been trying to sort out.”

Reacting, Edema said his ward is located in the state’s south senatorial district and “the returning officer who ought to collect materials for my ward, Mahin Ward II in Ilaje local government area, is here and unable to collect any materials”.

“I’m from Ilaje LGA. [Voting material] has not been sent there. How did it arrive there? Through what medium? I have been here by 6:30 am,” the governorship aspirant said.

“I am one of the aspirants. The returning officer who ought to collect material for my ward, Mahin Ward II, in the Ilaje local government area, is here and unable to collect any materials. He has been here since seven o’clock. No material was given to him.”

The confrontation then climaxed into shouts and heated exchanges.

A total of 171,922 accredited members for the APC gubernatorial election in the state. The exercise is scheduled to take place across 203 wards in 18 LGAs.

The Kano state high court has affirmed the suspension of Abdullahi Ganduje from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The court, while granting an ex parte order, also restrained Ganduje, national chair of the party, from further parading himself as a member of the APC.

On April 15, APC executives in Dawakin ward, under Tofa LGA of Kano, suspended Ganduje over alleged corruption.

However, the working committee of the APC in Kano subsequently nullified the suspension and punished the ward executives.

The court ordered that henceforth, Ganduje should desist from presiding over all affairs of the national working committee (NWC) of the APC.

The application was granted by Usman Na’abba, a judge, on Tuesday, following an ex parte motion filed by Ibrahim Sa’ad, on behalf of executive members of the APC in Ganduje’s ward.

The court directed the respondents to maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit on April 30.

Na’abba also stopped the state working committee of the APC in Kano “from interfering with the legally and validly considered decision of executives of Ganduje’s ward, essentially on action endorsed by two third majority of the executives as provided by the party constitution”.

“An order is hereby granted directing all parties in the suit APC (1st), APC National Working Committee (2nd), Kano State Working Committee APC (3rd), Dr. Abdullah Umar Ganduje (4th), to maintain status quo ante belum as of 15th April, 2024,” Na’abba said.

“The order thereby restraining the 1st respondent (APC) from recognising the 4th respondent (Ganduje) as member of APC and prohibiting the 4th respondent (Ganduje) from presiding over any affairs of the NWC and restraining the state working committee from interfering with the legally and valid decision of the ward executives of Ganduje ward.

“That the 4th respondent (Ganduje) is prohibited from parading himself as member of APC or doing any act that may portray him or seem to be a member of APC pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”

On Tuesday, the Kano anti-corruption commission said it had filed fresh charges against Ganduje who was governor of the state from 2015 to 2023.