By It is no longer news that the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has clinched the party’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 elections.
In the hotly-contested primary held at Eagle Square in Abuja, the former Lagos State governor polled 1,271 votes to emerge the APC presidential flagbearer — after seven aspirants stepped down from the race to back his candidacy.
His closest challenger, the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi got 316 votes. Placing third with 235 votes is Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is followed by Senate President Ahmad Lawan with 152 votes.
A breakdown of the final results show that Tinubu obtained 60.09 percent of the total vote cast, while Amaechi pulled 14.94 percent, as Osinbajo could only garner 11.11 percent.
Lawan, the “consensus candidate” pronounced by the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, had 7.9 percent of the vote.
The governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello got 2.22 percent after he polled just 47 votes. Interestingly, 63 votes were recorded from delegates from the state. His Ebonyi State counterpart, David Umahi had 38 votes to secure 1.79 percent, while Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade secured 37 votes to garner 1.75 percent.
A former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima got only 4 votes to hold 0.20%. For the immediate past Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, he secured just a single vote. His Science and Technology counterpart, Ogbonnaya Onu, who had clamoured that the APC choose its flagbearer from the South East, also got one vote.
In a rather interesting development, the former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha; popular Pentecostal preacher, Pastor Tunde Bakare; a former Minister of Information under the military regime of late General Sani Abacha, Ikeobasi Mokelu and oil magnate, Tein Jack-Rich, all put up a disappointing outing as they failed to secure a single vote.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has reacted to his victory at the just-concluded presidential primary, saying his emergence as the APC flagbearer marks the beginning of Nigeria’s greatness.
