Peaceful Primary in Igbemo Ward: Olatunbosun Hails Process as Fayose in Early Lead 

By Joseph Sunday

The APC House of Assembly primary in Igbemo Ward unfolded with calm and order on Wednesday, drawing praise from party leaders and candidates alike for its transparency and grassroots participation. 

Commissioner Franklin Olatunbosun, who cast his vote in Igbemo, commended the party’s leadership for “deepening internal democracy” through competitive, transparent primaries. 

The exercise followed successful National Assembly primaries for the House of Representatives and Senate, and continued the party’s use of Option A4 — the open-ballot system where voters physically line up behind their preferred aspirant. 

“We encouraged every aspirant to meet the grassroots head-on,” Olatunbosun said, noting the massive turnout in Igbemo. “The process was calm, orderly, and decided entirely by the will of the people. 

This peaceful, participatory approach is good for our democracy and shows the APC is setting a positive example in Nigeria’s political history.”

The Igbemo contest narrowed to two main contenders: incumbent Rt Honourable Hakeem Jamiu, who has represented the ward since 2018, and Boluwatife Fayose from Afao ward. 

The race carried historical weight. Earlier, the party had zoned the seat to Afao Ekiti in the interest of fairness — Afao had not produced a representative since 1999. By contrast, Igbemo Ward had held the seat for four consecutive tenures: Olatunbosun in 2003, Barrister Odu in 2011, and Jamiu from 2018 to date. 

When votes were counted across the constituency, Boluwatife Fayose — son of former Governor Ayodele Fayose — won convincingly in Igbemo.

Olatunbosun congratulated him and thanked all aspirants and voters for their sportsmanship. “Internal party contests are about choosing the best candidates to carry our flag into next year’s general election,” he said. “The governor’s inclusive approach and the party’s commitment to listening to the majority while respecting minorities are yielding positive results.”

Igbemo is one of six wards in the state constituency, alongside Afao, Awo, Eyio/Esure, Are, and Iworoko Ekiti.

Fayose: “Process Was Smooth, Now Let’s Unite”

Speaking after voting and monitoring collation, Boluwatife Fayose described the exercise as “smooth, easy, and well put together.” 

He commended election committee officials, security operatives, and ward members for their professionalism. 

“I went around as soon as I was done with my work to follow up with the collation of results, and everything seemed very okay. All areas were okay,” Fayose said. He expressed optimism that “everything would go his way.”

Fayose thanked party leaders for the opportunity, naming “my governor, our Senate leader, and House of Rep member, Honourable Olusola Fatoba.” 

He called for unity ahead of the general election: “They should please let us all work together, most importantly for the state and as a party. We should put the party first.”

If elected, Fayose said his priorities would be “inclusion and development of my constituency.” He added, “However I can speak to my governor and the leaders of the state to bring development towards our constituency.”

With the primary concluded peacefully and zoning considerations addressed, both Olatunbosun and Fayose framed the day as a win for internal democracy — and a step toward a unified APC campaign next year.