…as incumbent Senator scores zero vote at primary
Lagos West Senator Olamilekan Solomon Adeola, on Saturday in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area, trounced incumbent Senator Tolu Odebiyi to clinch the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatorial ticket of the party for Ogun West Senatorial District in the 2023 general elections.
Senator Adeola, fondly called Yayi by his supporters, scored the 294 total votes of all the accredited delegates to defeat Odebiyi who got zero vote.
All the 294 delegates drawn from the five local governments areas making up the Ogun West Senatorial District and were accredited for voting in the primary, cast all their votes for Adeola.
The atmosphere inside the Oronna Hall venue of the primary election had become charged before the process kicked off as the incumbent Senator Odebiyi made frantic efforts to retain the ticket for a second term ticket.
Odebiyi, who arrived at the venue of the primary election earlier at about 12:48pm in company with some of his supporters, had boasted in an interview with newsmen, that he was the sole aspirant for the primary election since the two other contestants – Hon. Abiodun Isiaq Akinlade and Gboyega Nasiru Isiaka (GNI), had stepped down and decided to gun for the House of Representatives tickets, which they won the previous day.
The atmosphere, however, changed at about 1:28pm when Odebiyi’s main challenger, Senator Adeola, stormed the primary election venue to a rousing welcome by a large crowd of his supporters.
At the end of the voting exercise and the physical counting of the ballot, Chairman of the APC Senatorial Primary Committee, Dr Dapo Odukoya, announced that Senator Adeola scored the total 294 votes of all the accredited delegates while his opponent and incumbent Senator Odebiyi got zero vote.
Recall that the expression of interest and nomination forms for Adeola, who is the current Chairman of Senate Committee on Finance, were bought for him by the Ogun West people.
The elated lawmaker said he was confident acceding to the yearnings of his Ogun West kinsmen to return home and represent them at the Senate from 2023 would bring more benefits and dividends of democracy to the Senatorial District.
The exercise was monitored and supervised by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agents.
Immediately the exercise ended, the atmosphere became carnival-like with a very large crowd of supporters besieging the venue to catch a glimpse of the victorious Senator Adeola.
The huge crowd prevented his convoy from leaving the venue for some time with many people shouting “Yayi, Yayi, Yayi!”
The joyous crowd continued to trail his convoy as security agents guided his vehicles out of the area.
