Aregbesola’s Chief of Staff, Oyetola, Picks APC Governorship Ticket in Osun … 3 Aspirants Kick

Ololade Adeyanju/

The governorship primary of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Osun State has thrown up the Chief of Staff to Governor Aregbesola as the chosen one.

NewsmakersNG gathered that Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola from Iragbiji emerged as the APC candidate in the primary conducted by Zamfara State governor, Abdul’Aziz Yari.

In the direct primary which held today, Oyetola polled  127,017 votes as against House of Representatives deputy speaker, Yusuff Lasun, who scored 21,000. Speaker of the Osun House of Assembly, Dr Najeem Folasayo Salaam, got 17,000 votes.

A total of 17 aspirants were to participate in the exercise that took place in the 332 wards across all the local government areas of the state, but three aspirants withdrew from the race early today.

Some of the aspirants included Lasun and Salaam.

There was also Ezekiel Oyemomi, Dr Abiodun Saka Layonu, Abdulgafar Amere, and Kunle Adegoke, among others.

However, Senator Babajide Omoworare, the Secretary to the Osun State Government, Moshood Adeoti, as well as the Chairman of Local Government Service Commission, Peter Babalola, pulled out of the exercise.

The primary began in the morning with the distribution of sensitive materials to officials amid tight security at the APC secretariat in Osogbo, the state capital.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had also fixed September 22 to conduct the poll that would produce a successor for Aregbesola who has been governor since November 2010.

Oyetola is a graduate of University of Lagos with a BSc (Hons) in Insurance, 1978 and MBA Finance, 1990.  He is also an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, London and Nigeria and a Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management.

He started his Insurance Career with Leadway Assurance Company after his NYSC in Maiduguri in 1980 as an Assistant Manager and rose to the position of Area Manager, Control Office, Lagos.

He was at Crusader Insurance as Underwriting Manager, Corporate Alliance Insurance as Controller Technical before he left to set up Silvertrust Insurance Brokers in 1990.  He was on the Board of many companies.

He was the Executive Vice Chairman of Paragon Group of Companies with interest in Oil and Gas, Real Estate, Stock Broking etc. until his appointment as the Chief of Staff to Osun State governor.

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