Otunba Yinka Akerele has joined fifteen other governorship aspirants to obtain his expression of interest form and the nomination form ahead of the June 18, 2022 governorship election in Ekiti State.
Akerele popularly known as Ayinde Ekiti stormed the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) National Headquarters in Abuja last Friday, October 22 to obtain the form.
Akerele made the sixteenth governorship aspirant obtain the form under the platform of the PDP; consisting of eight females and 8 males.
Akerele hails from Ayede Ekiti in the Oye local government area of Ekiti State, Ekiti North Senatorial District.
Akerele has been in the governorship race in the state since 2006. He took the first position in the PDP primary ahead of the 2007 election held in Trade Fair Ado Ekiti, but Chief Segun Oni eventually became the party’s candidate from the third position imposed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Mr Akerele is one of the founding members of the Olujimi faction otherwise known as the Repositioning Group.
The Repositioning Group elected, Lateef Ajijola as the group candidate for the party primary but later rejected Ajijola’s candidacy a month after conducting the mini primary.
Ajijola, a Lagos-based businessman and senatorial aspirant of the party in 2014, in the group’s mini primary held at Ajaleye Events Centre, Polytechnic Road, Ado Ekiti, the state capital on Friday, September 3, defeated Akerele and Sikiru Lawal to emerge the winner.
In the keenly contested poll, the Ado Ekiti born politician polled 50 votes while Otunba Yinka Akerele scored 26 votes and a former deputy governor of the state, Dr Sikiru Tai Lawal scored 4 votes.
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The governorship forms were sold at N21million made up of N1million for expression of interest and N20million for the nomination form.
Newsflash Nigeria gathered that female aspirants only paid N1m each for expression of interest.
Meanwhile, the sale of the expression of interest and nomination forms for the Ekiti governorship election had been closed on Friday, October 22.
Newsflash Nigeria had reported that fifteen of the aspirants had obtained the forms. They are former governor of the state, Segun Oni; immediate past PDP State chairman, Bisi Kolawole; Repositioning group candidate, Lateef Ajijola; the former General Manager of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Kayode Adaramodu; the former National Treasurer of the party, Wale Aribasala; 2018 PDP deputy governorship candidate, Deji Ogunsakin; a former Tutor General in Ekiti State, Chief (Mrs) Arogundade Oluwatoyin Anike; Hon (Mrs) Olumide-Ojo Olukemi Olubunmi and former Deputy Governor of the state, Professor Kolapo Olusola Eleka.
Others are a former House of Assembly member during the second term of Ayodele Fayose administration, Hon. Princess Titilayo Owolabi Akerele; the 2019 House of Representatives aspirant, Princess Adekemi Adewumi; 2019 House of Assembly aspirant, Mrs Cecilia Ebiesuwa; the daughter of prominent Prince Adewumi Adegoke of Ado-Ekiti, Mrs Adewumi Adesoye, Mrs Module Asaolu and Mrs Deborah Alo.
The screening of aspirants for the governorship election primary has been scheduled to hold on Monday, November 8, 2021, at the National Secretariat, Abuja, while the screening appeals has been slated for Monday, November 29, 2021.
The governorship primary election will take place on January 28, 2022.
