Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi Salihu, has been declared the winner of the state governorship primary election.
Danladi polled 94,990 votes to beat his closest challenger and the anointed aspirant of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Abdulfatai Yahaya Seriki, who got 41,700 votes, and Dr. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, who polled 22,118 votes.
The result was declared on Friday evening by the Chairman of the Kwara State APC Governorship Primaries, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro.
Seriki, Dele Belgore, and Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa trailed distantly behind Danladi, who was earlier announced as the choice of party leaders and members in the state.
Key contenders, including Yahaya Seriki, had earlier mobilised support for Yakubu Danladi in a show of solidarity for the man whom the governor newly endorsed as the candidate of the ruling party.
From Alanamu to Ajikobi, Ojuekun, and Adewole in Ilorin West, to Ibagun and Gambari in Ilorin East, field reports showed SYD leading comfortably among party members, who voted massively for him with his posters in their hands.
All the five local government areas in the North returned more than 90 per cent of their votes in favour of the Speaker, while he also led comfortably across the two other senatorial districts.
In the Southern District, Offa, Oyun, Irepodun, Ekiti, Isin, Oke Ero, and Ifelodun stood firmly behind the choice of the Speaker, underscoring his strong support base across the state.
Results of the other aspirants showed that Engr. Femi Sani scored 5,519 votes; Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, 3,920; Belgore, 3,411; Mohamed Bio, 1,122; Dr. Alabi Oluwatoyin, 1,099; Amb. Seriki, 41,700; Bolarinwa, 22,118; Prof. Wale Suleiman, 2,434; and Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, 1,722.
