Kunle ADELABU and Jare OLUKOTUN
Two days after the All Progressives Congress (APC) conducted its primary election for the Lagos East Senatorial seat across the district, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party has declared the four term member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Sikiru Osinowo winner.
He emerged as the preferred candidate to the incumbent, Sen. Gbenga Ashafa.
The senatorial primary election was held on Thursday across the Lagos East Senatorial district.
Hon. Osinowo would be facing Princess Abiodun Oyefusi, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other candidates who have equally emerged on the platforms of other political parties in the general elections fixed for 2019.
Announcing the results in Ikeja, Chairman of the Committee, Mr Lucky Imasuen, said the primaries were conducted for the three senatorial seats, 24 House of Representatives seats and 40 State House of Assembly seats .
In the results of the senatorial primaries, Imasuen said Sen.Oluremi Tinubu, who was unopposed, polled 89,494 votes to emerge as candidate for the Lagos Central.
For Lagos West, the committee chairman said the incumbent, Sen. Olamilekan Solomon, emerged winner with 378,906 votes against the 1,179 and 1,275 votes scored by Mr Kayode Opeifa and Mrs. Areago Olopade respectively.
Imasuen added that a four term member of the State House of Assembly, Hon . Bayo Osinowo emerged the candidate for the Lagos Senatorial district as he polled 247,743 votes to defeat the incumbent, Sen. Gbenga Ashafa who scored 20,385 votes.
In a phone conversation with THE IMPACT, Primate Charles Odugbesi, the Director-General of Hon. Bayo Sikiru Osinowo Campaign Organization, confirmed the NWC announcement of the results.
He also sent a congratulatory message where he stated that there was no victor and no vanguish in the contest.
“The entire members of TEAM PEPPER wish to congratulate all the participants in the just concluded primary exercise. We consider it a no victor no vanquish situation because as an indivisible family, we are all winners.
“What we need to do now is to come together and fashion out a way to face and defeat our common enemies, the other parties that may come forward to compete with us. United we stand, divided we fall. And it is our belief that together we shall come out victorious.
“We wish to thank all those who have worked assiduously well to see to it that our candidate, Hon. Adebayo Sikiru Oshinowo, a. k. a Pepperito, comes out victorious. May God crown all your efforts in your individual capacities with great success”, he stated.
Meanwhile, Sen. Gbenga Ashafa has asked his supporters to ignore the claim that Hon. Osinowo has been declared as the party’s candidate for the Lagos East Senatorial district.
In a release sent to THE IMPACT by his Media aide, Mr Kanmi, the Senator asked his supporters to stay calm and await the party’s decision.
The release states thus:
“We have been bombarded with a barrage of calls from our teeming supporters and concerned constituents of Lagos East Senatorial District on an impending plan by some members of our party and supporters of Hon. Bayo Osinowo to converge on the State Secretariat in Acme today to declare a former aspirant Hon. Bayo Osinowo, a.k.a Pepper, as the Senatorial candidate of the Party in Lagos East.
“You will recall that Hon. Bayo Osinowo failed the screening conducted by the APC and was disqualified by the party. His name was equally not among the aspirants cleared to contest the imaginary primaries being touted by the propaganda machinery of Anti Party supporters.
“We wish to state it categorically that this illegality can only happen in the figment of the imagination of people bereft of knowledge of the law in pre and post election matters.
“We, therefore, urge party members and faithfuls to remain calm and to steer clear of these illegal activities, while we await the final pronouncement from the leadership of the party.
“We remain resolutely confident in the fact that the leadership of our party would always abide by legality, justice and good conscience. Hence, we are rest assured that only the right thing would be done in the prevailing circumstance.
“Thank you for Your steadfastness in the face of unwarranted provocation. We remain law abiding members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and would allow the law take its course”.
