Dancing Senator Ademola Adeleke emerges as PDP's Osun State governorship candidate

NATIONAL Assembly dancing sensation Senator Ademola Adeleke has emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) governorship candidate in Osun State after narrowly winning the party's primaries yesterday by seven votes.

Highly visible both nationally and internationally because of his dancing prowess, Senator Adeleke, representing Osun West Senatorial District, scrapped home with 1,569 votes in the primaries, just beating his nearest rival Akin Ogunbiyi, who had 1,562 votes. He will now face Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) when the elections hold on September 22.

Dr Ogunbiyi, a former managing director of Mutual Benefit Assurance, had put up a stiff challenge having already got the likes of former minister for youth development, Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi, Professor Adeolu Durotoye, Senator Felix Ogunwale and Dr Jide Adeniji to step down for him. After yesterday's contest, however, former vice president, Atiku Abubakar has already congratulated Senator Adeleke and called on other aspirants to support him.

Writing on Twitter, Alhaji Atiku said: “I congratulate Senator Ademola Adeleke on his emergence as the governorship candidate of our great party. I call on other aspirants to rally around him to ensure the victory of PDP in the Osun gubernatorial election in August.”

Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola, has lauded the PDP for holding one of the most credible primaries in Nigeria. Receiving the chairman of the PDP Gubernatorial Primary Election Committee, Governor Seriake Dickson at Government House, Osogbo, Governor Aregbesola described the process as transparent.

He applauded Governor Dickson and his committee for organising a free, fair and transparent PDP governorship primary election in Osun State.  Governor Aregbesola described his Bayelsa State counterpart as a noble Nigerian and astute democrat who means well for the country.

Responding, Governor Dickson said he and his committee were in Government House, on courtesy visit, after successfully conducting the primary election.  He thanked his host for the level of decorum in Osun State, adding that the primaries went on smoothly, courtesy of the security credentials of the governor.

Governor Dickson said the delegates who voted were 3,448 while accredited delegates who participated in the election were 3,246, with 56 votes voided. He described the primary as a family contest, urging the other three contestants to support Senator Adeleke for the party to win the election, adding that any aspirant who is not satisfied with the result can appeal to the PDP's National Working Committee.

Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, a former Niger State governor supervised the counting of the votes. Senator Adeleke who won his senatorial election on July 9, 2017 after the demise of his brother, Isiaka Adeleke, will face Alhaji Oyetola and Senator Iyiola Omisore, a former PDP stalwart, who is now the candidate of the Social Democratic Party.