Sen. Ademola Adeleke, representing Osun West Senatorial District has been declared the winner of the Peoples Democratic (PDP) governorship primary ahead of Sept. 22 election.

Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, who is the Chairman of the election pane said Adeleke scored 1,569 votes.

Dickson said that Adeleke’s closest rival, Mr Akin Ogunbiyi, the Chief Executive Officer of Mutual Benefit Assurance, scored 1,562 votes.

Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, a former Secretary to the State Government, scored 56 votes while Mr Nathaniel Oke, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) scored 3 votes.

Dickson said the expected delegates were 3,448 while accredited delegates who participated in the election were 3,246.

He said 56 votes were voided, adding that any aspirant who is not satisfied with the result can appeal to the National Working Committee of the party.

Dickson , who described the primary as a family contest, urged the other three contestants to support Adeleke for the party to win the election.

He added that there was no loser in the election.

“This exercise is a brotherly contest. A contest of brothers of the same family.

“This exercise is a beginning of a long journey and we must join hands together to win the election”.

Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, a former governor of Niger supervised the counting of the votes.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that seven aspirants announced their withdrawal from the race. before the commencement of the primary .

Those who announced their withdrawal from the primary are Mr Adejare Bello, former speaker of the State House of Assembly, Prof. Adeolu Durotoye, Jide Adeniji, Sen. Olasunkanmi Akinlabi, Mr Ayoade Adewopo, Mr Lere Oyewumi and Mr Felix Ogunwale.

The aspirants said that they stepped down from the race due to the appeal from the party’s leadership and also to ensure cohesion within the party.

Adeleke , who won the Senatorial election on July 9, 2017 , after the demise of his brother Isiaka Adeleke , will contend with Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, who emerged as the state governorship candidate on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) and Senator Iyiola Omisore, a former PDP stalwart, who is now the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP.

Late Isiaka Adeleke, was representing Osun West Senatorial Distrist at the Senate before his death on April 23, 2017.

Oyetola, who is Gov. Aregbesola’s Chief of Staff, scored 127,017 votes to clinch the APC ticket. (NAN)