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Former deputy governor of Oyo State, Amb. Taofeek Arapaja, has emerged as Deputy National Chairman (South) of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).
At the party’s national convention conluded in the early hours of Sunday, Arapaja polled 2,004 votes to defeat former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who scored 705 votes.
Iyorchia Ayu, a former senate president, was also elected as the national chairman.
Ayu, who was earlier adopted as the consensus candidate for the position, won the election unchallenged with 3,426 votes.
For the position of the Deputy National Chairman (North), Umar Damagum, former PDP governorship candidate in Yobe state, polled 2,222 votes to defeat former Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Inna Ciroma from Borno state, who garnered 365 votes.
Muhammed Suleiman from Kaduna State scored 3,072 votes to defeat Usman Elkudan, also from Kaduna, who polled 219 votes for the position of National Youth Leader.
Only three out of the 21 National Working Committee (NWC) positions were contested, while consensus candidates were adopted for the remaining positions.
The other NWC positions include national secretary, deputy national secretary, national treasurer, deputy national treasurer, national financial secretary, deputy national financial secretary, national organising secretary, and deputy national organising secretary.
Others are national publicity secretary, deputy national publicity secretary, national auditor, deputy national auditor, national legal adviser, deputy national legal adviser, national women leader, deputy national women leader, and deputy national youth leader.
The candidates were declared duly elected by Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, who is the chief returning officer of the election.
Speaking, Ayu said the opposition party is back to rescue Nigeria from the “terrible mess” the country has been pushed into.
He added that Nigerians will see a “mammoth crowd” defecting to the party in the coming days.