Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu today defeated two governorship aspirants, former Commissioner of Energy, Wale Oluwo and former Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of Energy, Mustapha Olorunfemi at the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary to emerge as the party standard-bearer in 2023 Governorship Election.
The congress was held at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, formerly known as Onikan Stadium, in the Lagos Island area of the state.
The contest becomes a workover as the screening committee in charge of the congress did not clear Oluwo and Olorunfemi for the primary.
More than 1,225 delegates were expected to cast their votes in the exercise and 1,198 were accredited.
Of those accredited, 1,182 votes were cast with 12 regarded as invalid.
Protested his exclusion from the primary of the party, Oluwo said the screening committee of the party worked with powerful individuals to prevent him from the primary, stressing that “the will of the people will not be subverted”.
In a statement, Oluwo stated, “These discomforted powerful individuals have even gone to great lengths to prevent me from participating in the primary election of today by excluding me in a manner similar to the last Edo State episode where a sitting governor was denied participation in the internal democracy process of his party.”
In his gratitude to the party, Sanwo-Olu said, “I am grateful to God, the distinguished delegates and the leadership of the APC for the chance to continue the good work of governance that we have begun in our great state. With this resounding victory in the primary election, I am confident that we are united and ready to continue to be a beacon of hope and service to this great state. To the other contestants, I congratulate you for being a part of this very democratic process and invite you to join hands with me.”
