The United States chapter of the All Progressives Congress has appealed to all aggrieved aspirants in the just concluded governorship primary of the party in Ekiti State to sheathe their swords and support the APC flagbearer in the state for the June 18 governorship election.
In a statement signed by its leader, Adesegun Labinjo, the US APC chapter, congratulated the former Secretary to Ekiti State Government, Biodun Oyebanji, who, on January 27, clinched the ticket of the ruling APC for the governorship in the state.
The Chairman, APC Governorship Primary Electoral Committee for Ekiti and Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru, who declared Oyebanji winner of the primary election, had said the former SSG scored 101,703 votes to defeat other aspirants.
Badaru had announced that former governorship aspirant, Kayode Ojo, got 767 votes; National Assembly member, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, scored 760 votes; former Minister of Works, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, secured 691votes; and House of Representatives member, Femi Bamisile scored 400 votes.
Others were former House of Representatives member, Bamidele Faparusi, who garnered 376 votes; aviation expert, Demola Popoola, got 239 votes; and Oluwasola Afolabi scored 47 votes.
But seven of the eight governorship aspirants had protested the list of Local Government Electoral Committees for the exercise, saying it contained names of Oyebanji’s supporters and campaigners.
The aggrieved aspirants – Bamidele; Adeyeye; Bamisile; Faparusi; Ojo; Popoola; and Afolabi, alongside their supporters had stormed the state APC Secretariat on the election day.
However, Labinjo appealed to all the aggrieved persons to sheathe their swords and support Oyebanji in the interest of the party
The statement partly read, “We want to appeal to our aspirants to show maturity and do everything possible to keep our party together. The interest of our great party is greater than anything. We appealed to them to join our candidate, Gov Kayode Fayemi, and the entire APC members in the state.”
Labinjo, who also congratulated Oyebanji, urged him to reach out to those who contested with him.
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