By Joseph Akanbi
The Social Democratic Party (SDP), has on Wednesday, the 18th July, conducted two separate primaries where candidates emerged for Osun State governorship election scheduled to hold on the 22nd of September, 2018.
The party which has been engulfed in leadership crisis in the last few weeks is split into two factions, one is headed by the suspended Chairman, Ademola Ishola, while the other is that of the Omisore/Faforiji.
The Omisore led faction had last week conducted its Ward, Local and State Congresses where executives emerged. The Ademola Ishola led faction had secured a court order against the Congresses but the Omisore group went ahead to conduct the elections which were duly supervised by the National Secretariat of the party. Hon. Bayo Faforiji emerged the State Chairman in an election described by the Ademola Ishola-led faction as null and void.
However, on Wednesday, members of the Ademola Ishola-led faction, at the SDP Secretariat on Gbongan road, Osogbo, amid tight security, held a primary and elected Mr Munirudeen Atanda as their candidate for the September 22 governorship election. The primary was witnessed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
Chief Ademola Ishola, the SDP Chairman in the state, told party members after the exercise to disregard the insinuation that another faction of the party exists in the state. He later called for dedication from members, urging them to reach out to residents of the state to support SDP in the governorship election.
However, in a separate primary by the Faforiji leadership, Senator Iyiola Omisore, emerged the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The returning officer and chairman of the party’s electoral panel from Abuja, Prof Rufai Alkali, while announcing results from all the state’s 31 local government areas, in the presence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, said Omisore polled 123,485 votes to defeat Oladeji who came distant second with 1,805 votes and Atanda, who scored 1,617 votes.
“In line with the electoral acts which guide the conduct of primary elections in Nigeria,” Alkali said, “I hereby declare Omisore the winner of the SDP primary election in Osun State.”
In his acceptance speech as the SDP governorship candidate in the Osun State, Omisore acknowledged it had been a very keenly contested primary election.
He said, “I am both excited and humbled to have emerged winner, and to have earned the confidence of my peers and the party to be presented as the gubernatorial candidate for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Osun state.”
Omisore also thanked his fellow contestants, who he said “were able and also very well suited to the position,” but for “one person must emerge a leader and to the glory of God.”
Lastly, he said, “I am very delighted to work with them and other leaders to take the state forward, and to achieve our shared quest; the restoration of good governance and human dignity in Osun State.”
Party leaders present while results were being announced include Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, a former PDP vice chairman, South West, Dr Olu Agunloye, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan, a former Police Affairs Minister, Hon Bade Falade, among other state and national officers.
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