A former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Hon. Bola Oyebamiji has emerged as the consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the forthcoming Osun State governorship election.
This followed a motion moved by two governorship aspirants, Kunle Adegoke and Senator Babajide Omoworare, at the primary election venue at Ebunoluwa Group of Schools, Osogbo, the state capital.
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, who is the Chairman of the governorship primary committee, thereafter subjected the motion to a voice vote, which received overwhelming support from party members at the primary.
He then declared, ‘By the power conferred on me, I present to you Bola Oyebamiji, as the governorship candidate of our party’.
At the commencement of the primary process, Okpebholo had said that the governorship candidate would emerge by affirmation.
He arrived at the venue alongside the co-chairman of the committee, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, and other members of the committee, including Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, who represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and a former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
Earlier on Tuesday, 1,660 delegates that would elect the APC candidate emerged.
There were also clear indications that the seven APC governorship aspirants had stepped down to back a consensus flagbearer after a late-night meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday.
Featuring on a TVC News programme last Wednesday, a former APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, declared his support for the party’s arrangement to choose a consensus candidate.
Omisore, who was among seven aspirants disqualified by the APC Screening Committee for alleged violations of party guidelines and electoral provisions, said he accepted the decision following guidance from President Tinubu.
