The Peoples Democratic Party primary elections held Sunday in Jos was rancor free, as a former minister, and a serving senator representing Plateau south who was recently endorsed by Tarok elders forum as candidate of Tarok extraction to run the race Sen Jeremiah Useni has emerged flag bearer of the party to contest governorship seat against incumbent governor Simon Lalong.
Useni polled one thousand and eighteen votes defeating twelve other candidates at the party’s primaries which lasted for hours, ended early hours of Monday, his closest rival in the primaries Johnbull Shekarau, a serving member house of representative for Shendam, Quanpan/Mikang federal constituency polling three hundred and forty votes.
A total of two thousand and ninety seven delegates from the seventeen local government areas cast their votes at the keenly contested primaries.
Voting began late Sunday evening, at about six pm, and vote counting commenced around twenty minutes to midnight and ended at 3:30am Monday morning.
Here is the full detail of vote cast by delegates at the PDP governorship primary elections.
1. Sen. Jeremiah Useini= 1,018
2. Rt. Hon. Johnbull Shekarau= 340
3. Sen. Victor Lar= 249
4. Rt. Hon. George Daika= 199
5. Hon. Dr. Nicholas Kemi Nshe= 117
6. Dr. Ponyah Ibrahim= 62
7. Godfrey S. Bawa= 35
8. Yitman Maimako= 4
9. Nandom Ishaku Pyennap= 1
10. Arc. Sam Jatau= 5
11. Sam Abashe= 3
12. Engr. Jimmy Cheto= 7
13. Brig. Gen. Musa Gambo (zero)= 0
33 invalid votes were recorded.
Meanwhile, delegates of the All Progress Congress APC in Plateau state has affirmed, the incumbent governor Simon Lalong as the sole APC flag bearer in next 2019 governorship elections in Plateau state.
Delegates at the APC convention said that Lalong is the sole aspirant of the party in the forthcoming election .
Speaker of the Plateau state House of Assembly Joshua Madaki moved the motion to affirm the Governor Lalong, the Lawmaker said due to the security situation of the state and Lalong been the sole aspirant ,he should be affirmed ,the motion was seconded by the former deputy Governor of the state Pauline Tallen, a senatorial aspirant for Plateau south, on the platform of the APC
Speaking after his affirmation, governor Lalong appreciated the delegates for the confidence reposed in him.
Governor Lalong pledged to promote programmes that would improve the quality of life and deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
On his part, State chairman of the APC in the state , Hon. Latep Dabang commended the peaceful nature of the exercise.
Following the PDP primary elections, Senator Useni will face the incumbent governor Simon Lalong in the forthcoming governorship elections come 2019 in Plateau state, both candidate hail from Plateau south.
The 2019 governorship elections in Plateau state promises will be a keen contest, because all the 13 PDP governorship aspirants had signed an accord not to defect from the party, but to support anyone who wins the party primaries.
