Fayemi, Bamidele not present as APC governorship aspirants meet in Ado Ekiti

Nigeria’s minister of mines and steel development, Kayode Fayemi and Opeyemi Bamidele, a former commissioner of information in Lagos state, are the among the governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) absent at a stakeholders’ meeting in Ado Ekiti, capital of Ekiti state.

The aspirants are putting heads together on the way forward following the inconclusive primary election of Saturday.

Hours after the botched primary, Fayemi alleged that some desperate elements, including Babafemi Ojudu and Bimbo Daramola, two aspirants, conspired to thwart the exercise because he was leading.

Only delegates from four of the 16 local government areas in the state had concluded voting when the exercise was disrupted. A total of 2,408 delegates were accredited for the exercise.

The aspirants in the meeting are deliberating on either presenting a consensus candidate for the election or conducting a fresh primary before the May 14 deadline for submission of the party’s candidate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Thirty-three aspirants partook in the primary which was marred by violence.

Reacting to the botched primary, Ayodele Fayose, governor of the state, mocked his rivals, saying the APC will fail woefully in the governorship election slated for July 14.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will hold its own primary on Tuesday.