Adewale, Akobada Clinch Lagos West, East PDP Senatorial Tickets

Segun Adewale has picked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket to contest the Lagos West Senatorial District seat in the 2023 general elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adewale, popularly known as Aeroland, defeated Yomi Ogungbe at the primary election held at the Stadplus Event Centre, Ikeja, Lagos on Monday night.

Daniel Ugo-Unibaiye, the Returning Officer, while announcing the result, said that due process was followed during the primaries.

Ugo-Unibaiye said Adewale scored 264 votes to emerge the winner, while Ogungbe polled two votes. Two votes were voided.

Speaking to journalists, the winner thanked the delegates for voting for him and pledged to work with members of the party to win the secondary election.

Adewale lauded the conduct of the election and the opportunity to be presented as the PDP flag bearer, urging party members to unite and ensure victory for the PDP during the polls in 2023.

“My first priority is to reconcile with my opponent, Mr Yomi Ogungbe, so that we can be better united and work together as one.

“We must tidy up all the differences within our party before we move ahead to the main elections,” he said.

He also urged the electorate, especially the youths, to get registered, get their Permanent Voter’s Card, and partake in the coming elections.

Adewale said that by so doing, the people would get the new Nigeria they were clamouring for.

NAN reports that 356 delegates from the 10 Local Government Areas in the senatorial district, were expected to participate in the exercise.

The areas are Agege, Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Ajeromi, Badagry, Ikeja, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ojo, Mushin, and Oshodi/Isolo.

However, out of the 10 local government areas, Ojo and Amuwo-Odofin were not represented during the exercise.

Similarly, Mr. Nicholas Akobada has clinched the PDP’s ticket to contest for the Lagos East Senatorial District.

Daniel Ochu-Baiye, Chairman of the PDP Electoral Committee/ Returning Officer for the senatorial primary election, stated that Akobada scored 74 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ms. Agnes Adenike-Shobajo, who polled 63 votes.

Announcing the result Tuesday morning at the PDP Secretariat in Somolu, the returning officer said that Obadiaru Adebayo, another contestant, scored 16 votes while Saidat Odofin-Fafore polled two votes.

NAN reports that the exercise witnessed some hitches and protests over allegation of fake delegates list, especially when ad hoc delegates from Ikorodu, with about 58 ad hoc delegates, were voting.

The development came after delegates from four out of the five local government areas that made up the senatorial distinct had voted.

Delegates from Somolu, Kosofe, Epe and Ibeju-Lekki had voted before the disruption.

The issues resulted into several protests by delegates from Ikorodu who insisted that names of delegates on the list brought by the electoral committee were not authentic.

After a huge noise and drama, the electoral committee declared the election inconclusive, citing security risk, and left the venue, but later came back to announce the result and declared a winner.

The ad hoc delegates had waited since Monday morning for the exercise, but the electoral committee only showed up at 11:50 p.m.

The accreditation and voting started simultaneously at 12:03 a.m. on Tuesday, and ended at 1:40 a.m.

The exercise was conducted under heavy security presence and was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Akanbi Abidakun, who led the INEC team to observe the primary, told NAN that it was orderly and the electoral committee followed due process.

Abidakun, however, advised the party to ensure better logistics in future primary elections, saying that a single electoral committee should not be tasked with conducting primaries in more than one senatorial district.

“The party should look into this and expand the electoral committee for each senatorial district rather than keeping people waiting endlessly. They should improve on this.”