Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Thursday won the governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by 1,170 delegate votes out of 1,182 valid votes, with 12 votes declared invalid.
The election, held at Mobolaji Johnson Arena at Onikan on Lagos Island, had Sanwo-Olu as the sole aspirant on the ballot.
Mr Abdulhameed Olorunfemi Mustapha, who retired as Permanent Sectary of the state’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources three months ago; and Mr Wale Oluwo, the Commissioner in that same Ministry in the era of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, had been disqualified by the screening committee.
Despite the downpour, party members filed out to cast their votes to approve the Governor’s second term ticket.
The electoral process had commenced at 12:33 pm with the arrival of the Chairman of the state Gubernatorial Primary Committee, former Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Adamu Shettima Yuguda, and his team.
The electoral committee’s arrival was followed by the accreditation of delegates across the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Of all the 1,225 delegates expected to participate in the exercise, the committee accredited 1,198 delegates seated at the venue.
The process was witnessed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) assigned to monitor the primary.
Shettima explained the modalities adopted by the electoral committee on how the delegates would cast their ballots. And by 1:03 pm, accredited delegates filed out to vote according to their LGAs. There were five delegates each from 245 wards across the state.
The voting was temporarily disrupted by the downpour. When the rains subsided, the delegates came out again to vote.
At 3:35 pm, voting ended and sorting of the ballots began immediately. Then, the electoral committee chairman declared vote counting.
Responding, Sanwo-Olu dedicated the victory to all party members, describing them as the main winners of the exercise.
The Governor said the outcome of the exercise was a “loud and clear” message from the party delegates, noting that his victory was the first leg of the success being expected by the state chapter of APC. He said the party leadership would now divert all its energy to win the APC presidential ticket for the party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Sanwo-Olu said: “Having thanked all our party faithful, the bigger appreciation goes to all Lagosians irrespective of the side they lean. This victory is for all residents who have supported us on this journey we started four years ago. What we witnessed this evening is an affirmation that the good work we have been doing should continue.
“This is the assurance we are taking to the general elections and we will ensure that we don’t fail. With all sense of responsibility, there are still a lot more that Lagosians should be expecting from us across all facets of governance. The confidence reposed in us will not be betrayed. We pray that God gives us the energy to take Lagos to a level that will reflect the aspiration of all Lagosians”.
