The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, on Friday declared that the ruling party would henceforth not lose any state governorship election.

He said the loss of Anambra to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Charles Soludo, would be the last.

“Osun State will be a shift from what we experienced in Anambra. That’s the last election we will lose,” the APC chairman vowed.

Yilwatda spoke as delegates from across the three senatorial districts and 30 local councils in Osun State prepared to affirm former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, as the APC consensus candidate ahead of next August’s off-season governorship election.

Yilwatda inaugurated a six-man team with Edo State governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, as chairman. Other governors include Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Sheriff Francis Oborevwori, and Malam Abdullahi Sule, governors of Ondo, Lagos, Delta, and Nasarawa states, respectively.

Former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, is also a member of the APC committee for the Osun State governorship primary.

Six out of the seven disqualified aspirants, at a meeting held at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, agreed to work with the consensus candidate to be crowned today. They also signed an undertaking to work for the success of the party candidate at the election.

Aside from Bola Oyebamiji, the only other aspirant in today’s race is Mulikat Abiola. They were the only two cleared by the Obinna Uzoh-led screening panel.

Speaking after the inauguration of the primary committee for Osun State at the party’s national secretariat, the national chairman said the entire process would not last more than an hour since delegates would only affirm the consensus candidate.

He added that as from now on, every governorship election the party goes for, it must win, declaring that the party would start with Osun next year.

He commended the axed aspirants for deferring to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to work for the consensus candidate.

He said: “I must thank the party faithful for believing in the party and for sacrificing and agreeing that the party can pick a candidate of its choice and they will go with the party. I must thank them for what they demonstrated before Mr. President and their open pledge to the party.”

While appealing to the primary committee to take their assignment very seriously, the APC chairman said his leadership was determined to ensure victory in Osun State, declaring that Anambra would be the only state the ruling party would lose to the opposition.

“Nigerians love the APC. It is the only party in which its governors commission projects. Elections aren’t won on social media. We are busy working. We won’t take Osun for granted, and that’s why we are sending this high-powered delegation.

“The people we are sending are used to winning elections. We can’t take that from them. We commit the total structures for tomorrow’s primary in your hands. We will still call you back for the proper election. We will campaign all over the nooks and crannies of Osun State. We are determined to take back the state,” Yilwatda said.

Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, speaking on behalf of his colleagues, assured the APC national chairman that the committee would conduct a seamless process.

“We thank the National Chairman for finding us worthy. Osun is an election that we must win. In fact, we have already won from the way we started. I want to thank the aspirants for accepting that the party chose for them. I wish we adopt this formula so that the next election can be smooth for everybody.

“I must also commend the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Governor Hope Uzodimma, for the leadership he has been providing and support for you,” he said. (Saturday Tribune)

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