Oluyede polled 279 votes to defeat Funso Ayeni, who secured 239 votes, and Funmilayo Ogun, who scored 17 votes.
An Australia-based medical expert, Dr. Wole Oluyede, has defeated other contestants to emerge as the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election in Ekiti State.
This was disclosed by the Chairman of the Primary Election Committee, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, who is also the Lawmaker representing Gombe North Senatorial District.
In a keenly contested election, the PDP primary election pulled thousands of party supporters to the election venue in Ado-Ekiti, including the 535 delegates drawn across the 177 wards in the State to vote for their preferred aspirants.
The poll, which commenced around 10:30 PM on Saturday night, was concluded at exactly 1:49 AM on Sunday.
Declaring the result, Dankwambo said Oluyede polled 279 votes to defeat Funso Ayeni, who secured 239 votes, and Funmilayo Ogun, who scored 17 votes.
An aspirant, Peter Obafemi, withdrew from the race earlier in the night, declaring support for Oluyede.
Obafemi said his decision was made “not for personal gains but for the peace of the party,” describing Oluyede as “a man of integrity with the ability and agility to take the party to victory.”
Another aspirant, Ayeni, who lost to Oluyede, however, acknowledged the efforts of the party but noted that the process was marred with manipulation, promising to make use of the internal mechanism to make corrections.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Oluyede described the outcome as a collective triumph for all members of the PDP, commending the spirit of fairness and transparency that characterized the process.
The candidate expressed gratitude to the party’s national leadership for their role in ensuring a credible primary, singling out the National Chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, and the PDP Southwest leader, Engr. Seyi Makinde, for their commitment to a level playing field.
He vowed to restore hope, rebuild trust, and reclaim Ekiti from the grip of misrule under the All Progressive Congress (APC), urging citizens to unite in the mission to move Ekiti forward and return good governance to the state.
“Today marks a victory not just for me, but for every member of our great party in Ekiti State. In this election, there are no losers, only partners in progress and champions of democracy. The spirit of maturity, sincerity and fairness shown in this primary demonstrates that true change is coming to Ekiti.
“Your leadership has strengthened our faith in democracy. To my fellow aspirants, I salute your courage and sportsmanship. This victory belongs to all of us. Now, we must unite as one family to deliver the real victory, the PDP victory in the governorship election,” he added.
On his part, the PDP Chairman in Ekiti State, Tunji Odeyemi, expressed satisfaction with the successful conduct of the primary, describing it as a major step toward the party’s goal of reclaiming the state from the APC.
He also praised party members for their resilience throughout the long day of voting, which stretched from morning until the early hours of the following day, appealing to all aspirants to remain united.
FOLLOW US ON:
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
PINTEREST
TIKTOK
YOUTUBE
LINKEDIN
TUMBLR
INSTAGRAM
