The Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the outcome of the party’s gubernatorial primary election which produced Bisi Kolawole as the flag bearer as transparent and credible, calling on other aspirants to embrace the process in the spirit of sportsmanship.
The Ekiti State PDP Publicity Secretary, Raphael Adeyanju, in a statement made available in Ado Ekiti, on Monday, said that “the primary election was keenly contested by seventeen aspirants and after the conclusion of the election, the second runner, Segun Oni, openly congratulated the winner, Bisi Kolawole and embraced him.”
While congratulating all party members for their orderly disposition, the statement said the acting chairman, Omolase said that the majority of the aspirants have openly endorsed the election and promised to work with the party candidate to become the next governor of Ekiti State.
“We had seventeen aspirants, and the majority of them have accepted the outcome of the primary election, if only two of them have not made up their minds, that cannot discredit the outcome of the primary election because they will be in the minority.
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“We are however still urging them not to behave like bad losers. They should come out to embrace our candidate. We are ready to carry everybody along in this project because the success of the party in the general election is our collective responsibility.”
Meanwhile, the Coalition of Ekiti State Civil Society Organisations (COESCSOs), has adjudged the primaries conducted by the All Progressives Congress and the People’s Democratic Party as peaceful, acceptable and substantially compliant with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The Coalition, however, observed that the outcome of the two elections were largely dominated by godfathers, saying those alleged to have been anointed by strong party men in the two dominant parties won the shadow polls.
The former Secretary to the State Government, Biodun Oyebanji, won the direct primary of APC while former Commissioner for Environment, Bisi Kolawole, emerged victorious in the delegate system adopted by the opposition PDP.
The Chairman of COECSOs in Ekiti State, Professor Christopher Oluwadare, had while giving the preliminary report of the coalition in Ado-Ekiti, on Monday, said the fact that the elections didn’t witness bloodshed, killing and violence make them more acceptable and better than the previous years.
The Coalition, comprising over 150 organisations posited that “For PDP and APC indirect and direct primaries, those who have a stake, I mean the godfathers controlled the process. We feel that we must neutralise the overriding powers of individuals so that they won’t be the sole determinants of who becomes what in our parties.
“If you check critically, the person people felt had been anointed by a former governor in PDP won the primary, likewise in APC, the anointed person won. That is why all contestants should try and mobilise early so that you can have serious elections that will be participatory.”
Defending the primaries where Oyebanji and Kolawole had emerged for the APC and PDP respectively, Oluwadare added that there were tremendous improvements in the conduct of the primaries, thereby making them generally acceptable.
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