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Tag: Ajimobi

  • Ajimobi and posterity

    Traducers are at it. Malefactors seem to be in a party. They are gloating that Senator Abiola Ajimobi somehow did not succeed as governor because his party failed to produce a successor in the recent governorship battle for the Oyo State prime seat. More so, since he did not win his senate bid.

    In a fight against memory, such critics want to pretend that his two-term eight years as governor of Oyo State did not exist and did not count. They want to believe it, and others ride on such a hollow illusion.

    After Winston Churchill led the British through the most harrowing years of its history, the people voted him out. They said it did not matter that he was the lion that roared ahead of his countrymen through the Second World War, above the rubbles and tragedy of the trauma. They dismissed him as a warmonger and they said they wanted a man of peace instead as prime minister. His foes conned the majority into repudiating the orator and statesman, who would later be regarded, by common consent, as the best English man who ever lived. Just as Awolowo is to the Yoruba race.

    When Bill Clinton was president, he gave the United States the greatest economic expansion in history. Yet Americans rejected his chosen successor, Al Gore, and gave the crown to George W. Bush, the man who led them to an absurd war that would kill so many Americans, obliterate the economic gains of the Clinton Years and sow the seed of the Islamic insurgency that gave birth to Al Qaeda and ISIS arising from the conflagration of Sept 11, 2001.

    In the memory of politics, sometimes the big picture suffers. But Senator Ajimobi does not need to shout to the rooftop about all he has done. People will not forget in a hurry that before he became governor, the state, especially in heartland of Ibadan, was a cesspool of factional turbulence. We had the menace as legacy from the man of amala politics, Adedibu, who had transformed populism into a grassroots excuse for blood and death. Or road transport workers who saw any febrile moment as a platform to throw scare into Ibadan streets, leaving deaths, fear and trembling in their wake. Came Ajimobi, came calm.

    Nor can it be forgotten in a hurry what he accomplished in infrastructure work of many kilometres across the state. Is it the roads like dualisation of several interchanges, the construction of townships roads in Ibadan, Ogbomosho, Oyo, etc, or the landmark roads like the Ife Gate, or is it the bridges that rose from the earth to cancel the tragedies of the great flood like the Mokola Bridge? Or shall we forget that Ibadan was the dirtiest city in West Africa when he took over, with grime and dust and rot and all the violations of innocent nostrils with its stench. All that is gone now. What of legacy roads like the Ibadan Circular Road abandoned for 15 years or the Asejire Waterworks left to fallow for about 17 years.

    In the spirit of Awolowo, education and schools blossomed again, and he brought foreign direct investment of more than $61 billion with jobs. What of free trade zone and industrial park and agriculture. And more.

    Some may forget now, but history will never forget. That’s why statesmen govern – for posterity.

     

  • Ajimobi, Adelabu, Laosun congratulate PDP candidate

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi yesterday led those who congratulated the People’s Democratic Party governorship candidate, Mr. Seyi Makinde, who was declared winner of Saturday’s keenly contested election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Also yesterday, the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate Mr. Adebayo Adelabu and his African Action Congress (AAC) counterpart, Mr. Akinwale Laosun, congratulated Makinde.

    In a congratulatory message, Ajimobi’s Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, quoted the governor as saying that now that the elections are over, Makinde should ensure that all stakeholders were carried along in his administration.

    The governor urged Makinde to start getting prepared for the onerous task of governance by putting behind him all the electioneering acrimonies and prevail on his followers and supporters to guard against acts and utterances capable of igniting crisis.

    Ajimobi said, “In the last eight years, we have ensured adherence to the rule of law. We have done a lot to ensure the growth and development of our dear state through our visible unprecedented achievements, as acclaimed by the masses of Oyo State and the outside world.

    Adelabu and Laosun, in their separate statements, also congratulated the people of the state and thanked them for their support during the electioneering processes.

    Laosun said he accepted the result of the election as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    But, Adelabu said his party (APC) is studying the incidents of violence and various reported cases of electoral malpractices to determine further course of action if necessary.

    INEC on Sunday night declared PDP’s Makinde winner of the poll after scoring the highest number of votes in the election conducted.

    Makinde scored 525,621 votes to beat Adelabu (APC), who scored 357, 982.

  • Oyo: Ajimobi congratulates Makinde

    Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has congratulated the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Mr Seyi Makinde, who was declared winner of Saturday’s election by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

    In a congratulatory message, Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Mr Bolaji Tunji, quoted the governor as saying that now that the elections are over, Engr Makinde should ensure that all stakeholders were carried along in his administration.

    The governor urged Makinde to start getting prepared for the onerous task of governance by putting behind him all the electioneering acrimonies and prevail on his followers and supporters to guard against acts and utterances capable of igniting crisis in the state.

    Ajimobi said, “In the last eight years we have ensured adherence to the rule of law. We have done a lot to ensure the growth and development of our dear state through our visible unprecedented achievements, as acclaimed by the masses of Oyo State and the outside world.

    “While congratulating you and wishing you a successful tenure, I enjoin you to focus on the sustained development of our state in the areas of peace, security, as well as safety of lives and property that the state has enjoyed in the last eight years.

    Read Also: My victory similar to Agbekoya struggle, says Seyi Makinde

    “I extend to you the right hand of fellowship and promise to avail you my wealth of experience on critical developmental and governance matrix for the continued growth of our dear state and for the betterment of the lives of the entire citizens of the state.

    “Since the duty of every government is to create the enabling environment for businesses to thrive and for citizens to go about their lawful duties under a peaceful and secure environment, may I advise that you leverage on our widely-acclaimed achievements in these areas.”

  • Ajimobi and the power in the tongue

    The Bible tells of the immense power in the tongue and why it should not be deployed carelessly. Just as it is also taught in the Holy Book of the need to always hold the tongue in leech because in too much verbiage, blunders reside.

    I cannot but recall these immortal words of wisdom as I view a trending video in the social media, of the outgoing governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, “foretelling” his political future some years ago. In the said video, in which late businessman and Islamic philanthropist, Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola Alao sat to his right, Governor Ajimobi, apparently unconscious of the immense power in the tongue, told his audience that he was satisfied with his current position as governor and that he needed nothing more.

    Were he conscious of what he said then, why did he decide to throw his hat in the ring to seek another elective position, as a senator, when he has not fully run out his second term in office as governor? Power of the tongue? Or was he gifted with the power of clairvoyance to have pronounced on his political future at the time he made that public pronouncement?

    The friend who posted the video to my phone from Ibadan had long told me that Governor Ajimobi was a notch short in diplomacy and caution; that he was simply uncouth in most of his utterances. When the friend veered into pasting a tag of vanity and arrogance on the record-breaking governor, the first one to earn re-election in the history of Oyo State, I quickly protested that on the ground that on the only one occasion I had cause to see him in his Agodi office in Ibadan some four or five years on behalf of my son who was to be hired for a transportation-related job from his overseas base, he struck me then as a humble and respectful public office holder.

    Yet, my friend insisted that that was a one-off occurrence; that Ajimobi was garrulous and loose in the tongue and he allowed the aura of his high office to seize him. My friend was not alone in his assessment of Ajimobi. Most of the people I know in Ibadan have an unflattering opinion of him. And one even asked me if I knew why he is known by many other names, Chief of which is “Constituted Authority”.

    The story goes that during one of the youthful exuberances exhibited by a group of Polytechnic students in a protest march to his office, Governor Ajimobi was said to have blurted in a fit of fury: “Don’t you know you are before constituted authority?” The appellation of “Constituted authority” has stuck since then.

    But there’s a flip side of him which should not be washed away with his humbling defeat in the senatorial election: He is said to be generous. How I wished that consideration counted when they were voting against him.

     

  • Senate: ‘How we dislodged Saraki, Ajimobi, Akpabio, Alasoadura, Sani’

    When the 9th National Assembly takes off in June, some of the notable names that will be missing on Senators list are Bukola Saraki, the current Senate President; Abiola Ajimobi, current governor of Oyo State ; Godswill Akpabio,erstwhile Minority Leader of the Red Chambers and former governor of Akwa Ibom State; popular human rights activist Shehu Sani; and the Chairman,Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream); Tayo Alasoadura following their defeat in last weekend’s election. How did it happen? Those who defeated them spoke to correspondents Abdulgafar ALABELEWE, Bassey ANTHONY; Damisi OJO, Akure; Yinka ADENIRAN, Ibadan and Adekunle JIMOH, Ilorin

    The National Assembly election is only a week old today, but  the Senator elect for  Kwara Central,Dr. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe is already taking stock of his victory  over  Senate President Bukola Saraki. Oloriegbe, a  former World Health Organisation (WHO) consultant, thanked God and the people for making his victory  possible.

    Saraki’s cup is full – Oloriegbe

    “My reaction is that of gratitude to the Almighty God. He who gives power to who He wishes and takes power from He wishes,” he said in an interview in Ilorin.

    He said the people went a step further to demonstrate that they meant business with  to the slogan “O to ge”.

    The people, according to him, decided to “walk the talk because the talk has been enough is enough (“O to ge”) and the voice was loud.

    “This voice was demonstrated at the polls by voting out those that they considered were not delivering the dividends of democracy in the real sense of it. Those they considered as selfish, self-centred and those that used our commonwealth for self.

    “Those that have not provided Kwarans good education, healthcare, good roads, potable water. Those that have been cutting the people’s salaries. These are all the issues and more. Lack of job opportunities for the youth.

    “The other reaction is to look at the enormity of the current situation and the expectations of the people from us for the true change to happen in the state. But on that one, my belief is that we have good intention and our belief is that the people are still with us and they should be patient with us to start together with them to correct the wrongs on the past.”

    On the description of the voting pattern in the state as a revolution,Oloriegbe said: “ It is a combination of so many factors. It is not only about the revolution. Yes, there was that revolutionary movement of ‘O to ge’.

    “Kwara central people had made request to opposition parties to present candidates that are credible and have track records of performance for them to vote.

    “O to ge came up, but going back into history, 2015 people were in despair against the candidates presented by the opposition party against the status quo.

    “Then, if you go back to 2011 when I was the candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), if you look at the performance when my current opponent, Senator Bukola Saraki, was a sitting governor, people voted massively for me.

    “The supposed winning by him then came from Asa local government area of the state, where the voters’ turnout was claimed to be over 80 percent as compared to the Ilorin metropolis where the voters’ turnout was put at about 40 percent.

    “That was a reflection of what should have been. In my view, I think the two factors came together. But far and above all those factors and human conjectures, it is God’s time that has come.

    “As we all know, in life nobody will live in perpetuity. It is only God.”

    Asked what had changed between the previous elections when  Saraki had defeated him and now for the people to go for him this time around,the senator-elect said: “There are several things that have probably changed. But there are certain things that have not changed.

    “Even in 2011 when he said he defeated me and I accepted the verdict but then at the tribunal, we proved that there were a lot of irregularities in that election. But through the use of the federal might, we were not able to get anywhere.

    “That was unfair. Now we have not used any federal might, we have ensured a level-playing ground. Apart from that, INEC is now stronger and more transparent. The use of the card readers has prevented many politicians to manipulate the elections. With card readers, there cannot be over-voting again.

    “What has changed again is that the cup of the Saraki dynasty is  full beyond what the people can tolerate.

    “People have become intolerable of the bad governance they have been experiencing in the last eight years.

    “Eight years ago, when he left as   governor for the Senate, things were not as bad as they are now. Salaries of workers were paid then but now they are not paid.

    “The current Abdulfatah Ahmed administration, which Saraki installed, has not performed at all. Of course, we cannot totally remove his attitude to the APC government, a platform that he used to get the Senate Presidency.

    “He worked against that party to become a minority in the National Assembly, minority in terms of leaders and not in terms of membership; that is particularly important for us, especially Ilorin people as he cannot handle trust.

    “He used his position to work against Buhari. Buhari, in Ilorin, is a friend by virtue of his friendship and relationship with the late Major General Tunde Idiagbon. Ilorin people see the sincerity and credibility of Buhari.”

     

    It’s a surprise Shehu Sani got up to 70,000 votes, says Uba Sani

    Kaduna Central Senator-elect, Malam Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC),who defeated  incumbent Senator Shehu Sani, also spoke on his own triumph at the polls.

    Sani came a distant third  in the race with 70,613 votes.

    Second was Lawal Adamu of the PDP  who had  195,497 votes. Uba Sani recorded  355,242  votes.

    Aiming a dig at Shehu,the senator-elect said: “It is even a surprise to me that Shehu Sani got up the 70,000 votes that he got. I didn’t even expect him to get more than half of what he got. So, I congratulate him for even getting 70,000 votes.”

    They used to be in the same party,APC,until Shehu fell out with Governor Nasir El-Rufai apparently because of Shehu’s ambition to succeed the former.

    A parting of ways between the governor and Shehu soon came when El-Rufai vehemently refused to give the senator another chance to contest on the platform of the APC.

    He accused Shehu of working against the interest of the people by voting in the Senate against the approval of a $350million World Bank loan for the state.

    Shehu moved on and berthed in the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

    Uba Sani believes that Shehu’s constituents have repaid him back for abandoning them.

    “Defeating an incumbent like Senator Shehu Sani is as easy as anything because, right from the very moment he was elected, he abandoned the principles of the APC,” he told The Nation.

    He added: “The principles of the APC require that you are close to the people, but he abandoned the very people that elected him.

    “Kaduna central zone is a very important one, where you have a lot of elite and highly educated people, who know what is going on in the National Assembly.

    “So, if you don’t constantly come back to tell them what you are doing, ask about their problems and go back to the assembly to make a case for them, and promote the development of their constituency, they will vote you out.

    “An instance is the issue of the $350million World Bank loan the Kaduna State government requested for. Shehu Sani rejected it. He might have take n it as a joke, and I saw his explanation for rejecting the loan, but that was a major mistake he made. You don’t toy with the interest of your people; we are talking about nine million people of Kaduna State.

    “When you look at the template we submitted to the World Bank, we are supposed to build over 1,000 schools, primary and secondary schools and enhance our healthcare. We are building infrastructure in Kaduna, and someone sat there saying, I am going to block this loan, simply because he didn’t want Governor Nasir El-Rufai to achieve anything.

    “For me, it is not about El-Rufai, it is about nine million people of Kaduna State, and that singular act made us to be able to defeat the incumbent. He committed a lot of unfortunate errors.

    “I also challenge you to go to his constituency office, you will see it taken over by dust, because he has not opened it in the last two years. You cannot do that in Kaduna central, and that is why we found it very easy to defeat the incumbent.”

    Uba Sani also said that the party on which platform he(Shehu Sani)contested –PRP-  has no structure to win an election.

    His words: ” I don’t think the PRP has any structure on ground to win an election. In fact, he (Shehu) should be worried that it is so bad that he even lost in his polling unit; APC which is my party is a very popular one in Kaduna central zone, Kaduna State and Nigeria as a whole.

    “The truth of the matter is that, we never regarded PRP as our challenger in this contest and of course, you know that  the major reason why he was rejected is that, he abandoned his people. “Take for example the situation in Birnin Gwari, the road from Kaduna to Birnin Gwari, which is a federal one, and as a senator for almost four years, he never for one day made a case for the government to  do anything on the road until recently when Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai reached out to the federal government, which  has made a commitment to fixing the road.

    “So, for me, the people of Birnin Gwari rejected him because he abandoned them; he never for one day stood up on the floor of the National Assembly to move a motion on the security challenges in Birnin Gwari.

    Read also: Horror moments for Saraki, Southwest politician

    Why Ajimobi fell- Balogun

    The senator-elect for Oyo South District, Dr Kola Balogun,sees the hand of God in his election.

    “My victory is absolutely by God’s mercy,” Balogun told The Nation in Ibadan.

    He said: “My victory is absolutely by God’s mercy.

    “And talking about political factors, I will say that through my interaction with the people of the district, I discovered that they were tired of government policies and programmes, particularly at the local level.

    “There is so much poverty, there is the inability of the government to develop the local economy, pay salaries promptly, pay serious attention to the entitlements of pensioners, ensure that collapsing infrastructure are attended to, revamp the education sector, inability to pay teachers’ salaries, provide teaching aids, affordable healthcare, develop agriculture, which is one of what we can leverage on to provide employment for our youths, inability to assist market men and women with low interest loans and inability of the government to provide security. All these produced hopelessness.

    “But we presented better alternatives which people embraced. We also leveraged on my track record. They also saw my sincerity of purpose during my interaction with them. They saw that I could represent them well.”

    On how he feels after defeating the incumbent, Sen. Soji Akanbi and the APC candidate, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Balogun said: “I give all the glory to God. It is not by my power. I thank God and I feel fulfilled. I also thank the good people of Oyo South Senatorial District for their tremendous show of support. I reassure them that I will not disappoint them.”

    I knew God was going help me defeat Akpabio, says  Ekpenyong

    Dr. Chris Ekpenyong, who defeated Senator Godswill Akpabio  in Akwa Ibom Northwest also attributes his victory to God.

    Ekpenyong, deputy governor of the state between 1999 and 2007, said his own  political sagacity also went a long way to give him victory.

    “It was just like what happened to Jehoshaphat in the Bible when he was accosted by people with chariots and weapons and he called upon the name of the Lord and the enemies vanished,” he said in Uyo.

    “I knew I was going to beat him because I was backed  up by the blood of Jesus Christ.

    “God led me to the political battle field with prayers as my only weapon of war. I made several supplications to God asking Him to let His will be done in the election.

    “I’m glad God gave me victory; it shows that there is always victory in humility. I told God to come and set His people free the way He set the Israelites free from the hands of pharoah.”

    On his mission in the Senate, Ekpeyong said:“Since the war ended, our people are yet to be rehabilitated and reintegrated. There is no reconstruction and we are still having the relics of war.

    “We need reconstruction, rehabilitation and reintegration. Governments have come and gone, yet no action.

    “We need someone to bring it to the front burner. My primary responsibility is to ensure that there will be good laws and resolutions that will positively change the fortunes of the people of Akwa Ibom north west senatorial district. My victory is from God”.

    He said he supported and worked for Senator Godswill Akpabio’s reelection until he dumped the PDP for APC in August 2018.

    According to him, “In 2007 when I laboured for power shift to our senatorial district, Akpabio contested and won as governor; I supported him.

    “When he wanted to go  for a  second term, he took me to the then President Jonathan and I knelt down and begged Jonathan to allow him contest a second term as governor.

    “I didn’t do it for a fee but  I showed humility in service.

    “In 2015, Akpabio went to the Senate, I supported him. Even in 2018 when he declared for reelection, I supported him wholeheartedly until he left PDP for APC and the PDP fielded me to contest against him.  It is just a change of baton.

    “My name is Christopher and I am a cross bearer, I bear the cross of my people “.

    Akinyelure: my victory is of God

    Mr.Ayo Akinyelure (PDP)  is returning to the Senate for a second time after defeating Mr.Tayo Alasoadura (APC) and former Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Zenith Labour Party in the contest for the   Ondo Central District ticket.

    Incidentally, it was Alasoadura who defeated Akinyelure in 2015.Akinyelure,like Ekpeyong and Balogun, attributed  his victory to God.

    He was also full of praises for his  constituents for reposing confidence in him.

    “My people had resolved to pay me back for the good work I delivered to Ondo Central during my stewardship in the 7th Assembly as the senator  that represented the district,” he said.

    “During that period, I was able to add value to the citizenry of the  district by providing employment for over 550 graduates in various federal ministries and parastatals and many empowerment programmes designed to raise my people.”

    Recalling his defeat by Alasoadura in 2015,the senator-elect said:”When I was defeated in 2015 election by Senator Alasoadura, I was the first to congratulate him and accepted the verdict of my people.

    “The incumbent came second in the just concluded election,and has congratulated me.”

    This developnent,he said, demonstrated the spirit of sportsmanship.

    However, he said he was still expecting a congratulatory message from former Governor  Mimiko.

    He said:”He should remember that one good turn deserves another. We all stood by him when the whole Ondo State decided to vote him twice as governor of the state.

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    “Ondo State belongs all of us and therefore, any one of us is qualified at one time or the other to be chosen by the majority of the people of Ondo State, particularly Ondo Central to represent their interest.

    “It is,therefore, my turn now, and they have resolved to re-elect me to the Senate as a ranking senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

  • APC to dominate Senate

    •Tinubu, Amosun, Ekwunife, Folarin, Uba, Gaidam win •Uba brothers, Ajimobi, Dankwambo, Mulikat Adeola fail

    Going by the senatorial election results announced in states by Returning Officers, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) seems set to dominate the 109-member Red Chamber.

    Out of the 18 seats in the Southwest, the APC won 14, leaving four to the PDP.

    It is being trailed by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    There were upsets as some candidates believed to be heavyweights failed to win their senatorial districts.

    In Anambra South Senatorial Zone, Anambra State, Ifeanyi Uba of the Youth Progressive Party (YPP) scored 87, 081 to take the slot from incumbent APC Senator Andy Uba, who polled 62, 462.

    In Lagos, the APC clinched the three slots. Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) polled 131, 735 to defeat PDP’s Onitiri David, who scored 80,107; Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (APC) beat Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivor of the PDP and Bayo Osinowo (Lagos East), beat  Abiodun Oyefusi of the PDP.

    In Akwa Ibom, Mrs Akon Eyakanyi (Akwa Ibom South) of the PDP got 122,412 to beat APC’s Nelson Effiong, who polled 44,053. With 76,183, Yakubu Oseni, (APC, Kogi Central) beat Miss Natasha Akpoti of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who scored 48,326 and Senator Ahmed Ogembe (PDP), who scored 19,359.

    Danladi Sankara, APC, Jigawa Northwest, got 286,655 to beat Nasiru Roni of the PDP, who scored 120, 314; Senator Dino Melaye won the Kogi West for the PDP, beating Smart Adeyemi to the second place.

    In Kano South, Senator Kabiru Gaya of the APC scored 319,004 to beat Abdullahi Sani Togo, who polled  217,570; Barau Jibrin won Kano North for the APC with 286,419 as against the 155,638 scored by Ahmed Garba Bichi of the PDP. Oyo State Governor Abiola AJimobi lost his bid to represent the Oyo South District for the APC. His 92,218 votes could not match PDP’s Kolawole Balogun’s  105,720.

    Senator Danjuma Goje (APC), Gombe Central, scored 110,116 votes to beat Abubakar Nono of the PDP, who got 39,760. Mrs. Uche Ekwunife (Anambra Central) won the Anambra Central for the PDP with 18,412. Victor Umeh of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 14, 403.

    PDP’s Senator Danjuma La’ah scored 268,923 to beat former Deputy Governor Barnabas Bala of the APC, who polled 133,287; Senator Stella Oduah of the PDP retained the Anambra North seat for the PDP, beating APGA’s Nelson Onugbegu, who scored 59,937.  Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun scored 88, 110 to win the Ogun Central slot for the APC, beating Mrs. Titi Oseni of the SDP, who scored 37, 101.

    Others are: Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of the PDP, who lost the Gombe North Senatorial District with 88,016 to APC’s Sa’du Alkali, who scored 152,546; Abdulfatah Buhari (APC, Oyo North) got 107,703 to beat Mrs Mulikat Adeola of the PDP). Mrs. Adeola got 89,365.  In Niger East, Mohammed Sani Musa, APC, Niger East, scored 229,425 to beat PDP’s Ishaku Ibrahim, who polled 116,143;

    Read also: U.S. cautions against illegal announcement of results

    Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, APC, Jigawa North, garnered 184, 185 to beat Senator Ubali shittu of the PDP, who polled 103,039.

    Ishaku Cliff (PDP, Adamawa North) scored 78,337 to defeat APC’s Sen. Binta Garba, who had 63,219; Aisha Dahiru Binnan (APC, Adamawa Central) polled 188,526 to beat Murtala Chubado Modibbo of the PDP. Modibbo scored 96,530; Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu polled 86, 088 to retain his Enugu West slot. He beat Mrs. Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu of the APC. She scored 15,187.

    Others are: Haliru Jiga, APC, Bauchi Central (66,024). He defeated Bappah Aliyu of the PDP, who had 57,069; former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin won the Oyo Central for the APC with 91,080 to beat PDP’s Bisi Ilaka, who scored 83,600. Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullah (APC, Niger North) scored 161,420 to beat PDP’s Sanni Duba, who recorded 77,109; Mohammed Bima (APC, Niger South) scored 160,614 to beat Baba Shehu Agaie of the PDP, who scored 90, 978.

    Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam won the Yobe East seat for the APC with 139,277, beating Tata Abbagima of the PDP, who scored 18,059; Ibrahim Bomoi won the Yobe South for the APC with 118,729. He beat Mohammed Hassan of the PDP, who scored 89,049; Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan retained the Yobe North seat for the APC with 144, 099. He defeated Sherif Abdullahi of the PDP, who scored 54,443;  Amos Blues (APC, Gombe South) polled 80, 549 to beat PDP’s Hajiya Binta Bello, who scored 63,312;  Ibn Na’Allah won the Kebbi South slot for the APC with 136,187 to beat Benjamin Dikki of the PDP, who scored 62,733.

    In Kwara State, the APC won all the three senatorial districts. Senate President Bukola Saraki, who scored 68, 994 votes, lost the Kwara Central zone to APC’s Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, who polled 123, 828.

    The PDP candidate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Sen. Philip Aduda, scored 263,055 votes to beat APC’s Jisalo Zephaniah, who scored 148,401 votes.

  • My defeat unfortunate, says Ajimobi

    Despite his loss at the senatorial election, Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has thanked the people of the state for their turnout and peaceful conduct during the last Saturday polls.

    Ajimobi, a candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who contested the Oyo South Senatorial District lost to his rival Dr. Kola Balogun, younger brother to the Otun Balogun of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun.

    A statement by the Special Adviser to the governor on Communication and Strategy, Mr Bolaji Tunji, quoted the governor as saying the people of the state have shown their love for the APC by voting massively for President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC candidates in the elections.

    From the results released so far nationwide, he said that the APC was coasting home to victory.

    The governor equally congratulated the APC and its candidates in the state, who picked nine out of the available 14 Federal Constituency seats and two out of the three Senatorial seats.

    Ajimobi said: “We appreciate our people for coming out last Saturday, which led to APC winning two, out of the three Senatorial and nine out of the 14 Federal Constituency, seats in the state.

    “The victory has shown the unassailable leadership of the APC in Oyo State. It has also shown that our people are appreciative of the developmental strides of the APC in the state and the country at large.

    “We have taken Oyo State to an unprecedented level in terms of massive infrastructural renewal. Most importantly, we have ensured peace in the state.”

    The governor described the loss of the Oyo South Senatorial ticket seat as unfortunate but noted that no sacrifice was too much for a leader to make.

    He enjoined all APC members to gird their loins for the March 9 governorship election, stressing that battle was not over yet.

    Ajimobi emphasised that the loss of Oyo South Senatorial seat would not deter him from his firm resolve and that of the APC to work hard for the party’s victory in the governorship election.

    The governor said: “The results of the Oyo South Senatorial District election have been released by INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) indicating that I lost to the PDP (People’s Democratic Party) candidate.

    “I hereby accept the result announced by INEC. Although there were a number of grievous infractions and established electoral malpractices, I have decided to let go in the interest of peace. I, therefore, congratulate the declared winner, Hon Kola Balogun and our APC Senators-elect, Abdulfatai Buhari and Teslim Folarin.

    “If I lose the ticket and the party was able to gain, then it is nothing to feel sad about. APC has done well but we can always do better. If we won two out of the three Senatorial seats and we picked nine out of 14 federal constituency seats, then we should congratulate ourselves.”

    “To the teeming members and supporters of our party who came out in their thousands to show their preference for the APC, I thank and urge you to keep the faith especially as we look forward to the governorship and the House of Assembly elections.

    “With the impressive results we currently have, we should proudly go forth with greater sense of confidence and unity of purpose. Let us work together to ensure victory for our governorship candidate, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and all our candidates for the House of Assembly.”

  • Oyo APC petitions INEC over Ajimobi’s defeat

    The Oyo State Chapter of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission over what it described as anomalies that led to the defeat of the Governor Abiola Ajimobi in his bid to return to the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly.

    A petition attached with a police report has been delivered to the registry department of the electoral umpire.

    The document was delivered by the Oyo State APC Director of Research and Strategy, Dr Azeez Olatunde at about 12:30, Monday.

    According to sources, the document had earlier been brought to the commission’s office on Sunday when the party got winds of some anomalies in some voting areas in the district but was not collected and told to be represented on Monday.

    Read Also: Ajimobi loses senatorial election to PDP

    Olatunde who was upbeat about the result noted his party did not lose the election but robbed of victory as political thugs were uses to unleashed mayhem on party supporters in some parts of the state which led to the death of a young boy.

    Dr Kola Balogun of the PDP was declared winner by the returning officer, Professor Wole Akinsola after polling 105,720 votes while Ajimobi (APC), incumbent Senator Adesoji Akanbi and Dr Fola Akinosun (ADP), polled; 92, 218; 49, 437; and 13, 149 respectively.

  • Ajimobi loses senatorial election to PDP

    Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, has lost his bid to return to the Senate.

    In the result announced by the Returning officer for Oyo South Senatorial District, Prof. Wole Akinsola, Dr Kola Balogun of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) beat Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the incumbent Sen. Adesoji Akanbi of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to emerge the winner.

    He polled 105,720 votes to beat Ajimobi who scored 92,218 and Akanbi who polled 49,437 votes.

  • Ajimobi hails election as credible, peaceful

    Oyo South Senatorial District candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Abiola Ajimobi, has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of yesterday’s election, describing it as credible, peaceful and relatively hitch-free.

    He said this during an interview with journalists shortly after casting his vote in the company of his wife, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, children and sons-in-law, at Ward 11, Unit 20, Oluyole Community Grammar School, Oluyole Extension, Ibadan.

    With the benefit of hindsight, the governor said the election was the best he had witnessed since he joined politics.

    In his general assessment of the election, the governor said that the conduct of the election was a marked improvement from the past exercises, apart from reported cases of late arrival of polling materials in a few polling units across the state.

    The governor said he was particularly impressed by the large turnout of voters, especially youths whom, he said, had, by their actions yesterday, demonstrated their resolve to assume leadership positions.

    He said: “I’m impressed with the conduct of today’s election which I can confidently say passes the litmus test of freeness, fairness and credibility. I congratulate the people of Oyo State for turning out in large numbers to exercise their franchise.

    “The atmosphere in this polling unit is that of conviviality. We are all laughing and smiling at one another. The faces I see here are the faces of people who are happy and satisfied with this election.

    “From what I have seen here and the reports I have received so far, the election is hugely successful and credible. The few cases of late arrival of electoral materials were later resolved.

    “Not minding whether they are voting for our party or not, the voters here received me and my family warmly and you can see all of us throwing banters. I must tell you, this is another achievement of our administration. I did not hear any case of brigandage or violence so far.