The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the June 18 governorship election in Ekiti State, Bisi Kolawole, says Senator Biodun Olujimi pulled out of the governorship primary on Wednesday to avoid defeat and embarrassment.
Kolawole spoke on Thursday while featuring on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ current affairs programme monitored by The PUNCH.
Kolawole, an immediate past Chairman of the PDP in Ekiti, had emerged as the candidate of the party on Wednesday.
Kolawole, who is former Governor Ayo Fayose’s preferred aspirant, garnered 671 votes to beat his closest rival, former Governor Olusegun Oni, who scored 330 votes and other aspirants.
Other aspirants – former Deputy Governor, Prof Kolapo Olusola, scored 93 votes; former House of Representatives member, Wale Aribisala, garnered 56 votes; financial expert, Kayode Adaramodu, scored 10 votes; former deputy governorship candidate, Deji Ogunsakin, scored six votes and National Assembly member, Biodun Olujimi, who had earlier pulled out of the exercise secured two votes.
Speaking during the television programme on Thursday, Kolawole said he had spoken with all his fellow contestants and they were happy with his emergence and promised to work for the party’s success in the governorship election later in June.
The PDP governorship candidate said, “Yes, Senator Biodun Olujimi pulled out. You don’t expect everybody to go into the final race, it is at her discretion to have done that.
“She is a serving senator, she must have considered some other things but I don’t think it was out of annoyance; she must have considered some other factors, maybe the fact that she knew what would happen at the primary. It is better to, by style, avoid being embarrassed at the venue.”
Kolawole also said Fayose didn’t impose him on the party but endorsed him, adding that the ex-governor won’t control him if he eventually becomes the winner of the election.
Olujimi on Wednesday had pulled out of the primary saying the system had been compromised in favour of a particular aspirant.
The All Progressives Congress also held its governorship primary in the state on Thursday amid protest and withdrawal by some aspirants who felt the system had been compromised to favour an individual.
However, the winner of the APC governorship primary had not been announced as of the time of filing this report.
The June governorship election has been predicted by many political analysts to be between the APC and the PDP as Governor Kayode Fayemi bows out later in October 2022.
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