…tasks party faithful on unity
Otunba Segun Adewale (Aeroland) the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2023 senatorial candidate who polled 264 votes to emerge winner at the party’s primaries has declared that all hands need be on deck to wrest power from the ruling party.
In his acceptance speech, Adewale note that he having emerged the candidate of the party will work assiduously, to ensure other aspirants not so favoured are brought into the fold to ensure the required synergy at poll for better delivery.
Adewale added that internal wrangling within the PDP is counterproductive, as the task ahead demands a united and formidable front to come out victorious.
“What I intend doing is total reconciliation especially with the aspirant contesting the seat with me in the person of Hon. Yomi Ogungbe.
“ I need to meet with him and ensure we settle our differences before moving to the main elections, because if we don’t come together and work as a team there is no way anybody can win APC in Lagos.
“You can remember, if Tinubu can go to the national and work for Buhari and Buhari won twice it is not going to be easy, unseating that same person in Lagos.
“So for us to go out to the field to contest against APC we have to tidy up all the differences in the house, that is what I am doing first.
He charged the electorates to get registered and make good use of their votes.
“To the electorates they’ve seen it all, a lot of people are suffering now, they need to just get registered and go and vote on that day next year.
“It is not enough for them to vote they have to stay and secure their votes,that is the way things can get better in Nigeria, it is not enough to go on WhatsApp platform and be talking about desired changes on social media.
“You have to participate in politics and governance for us to see a new Nigeria.
“It is not my making, I really want to thank God for that because I really did not put much effort compared to 2015 and I am getting results.
“I want to also thank my leader Chief Bode George for giving me the opportunity and Olajide Adediran (Jandor) for going all out and giving me the opportunity to work with him.
“I also want to thank my sister here, Hon Rita Orji because I say I am not really interested in contesting this time because of the different tendencies in our party.
“A lot of people are fighting but she kept encouraging me.
“Now this is the first hurdle I am crossing, I am so overwhelmed and I thank God,” Adewale said.
Sunrise.ng reports that each local government has delegates in tandem with the number of wards therein to elect the PDP candidate for the 2023 polls.
The two aspirants who jostled the Senatorial seat are Otunba Segun Adewale (Aeroland) and Mr. Yomi Ogungbe.
Five INEC officials were on ground at the venue of the primaries to supervise the process.
Three delegates came from each ward across the ten local governments that constitutes the Senatorial District this includes: Agege, Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Ajeromi Ifelodun,Badagry,Ikeja, Ifako-Ijaiye,Mushin, Oshodi Isolo and Ojo.
An addition of a physically challenged person and a national delegate from each local government brings the total figure of delegates up to 356.
The election which started by 9:25pm at the instance of INEC officials, electoral officials of the party from Abuja, Security personnel from the Nigerian Police Force and DSS and national delegates of the party within the Senatorial district was hitch-free as delegates from eight out the ten local governments were present.
The INEC officers having cited the list and affirmed it to be the authentic one, called out delegates name from each local governments who filed out one and the other, were identified by the party Chairmen in their locality before they were handed the ballot paper to cast their votes.
The voting ended at exactly 10:37pm while the sorting and counting of votes started by 10:39pm.
According to the returning officer Mr. Daniel Ugochibaiye there are 356 eligible voters from the senatorial district, two votes was voided, Mr.Yomi Ogungbe the second aspirant polled 2 votes while Otunba Segun Adewale polled 264 votes to emerge candidate of the party ahead of the 2023 elections.
Due to logistics issues delegates from Amuwo-Odofin and Ojo local governments could not make it down to the venue of the primaries before conclusion of the election, so only eight of the ten local governments cast their votes.
Hon.Fateemah Mohammed the PDP candidate House Reps Ifako Ijaiye and Mr. Abiodun Kuye a party Chieftain were also on ground to observe the process.