Akintunde Rotimi Jr., member representing Ekiti north I (Ikole/Oye) federal constituency in the house of representatives, has won the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the ward.
According to Rotimi’s media office, the lawmaker secured victory in 22 of the 24 wards in the constituency during the primary election contested by nine aspirants.
Among those defeated were Bimbo Daramola, a former house of representatives member; Kemi Elebute-Halle, 2022 governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in Ekiti; Gbenga Joseph; Ayorinde Ejioye; and Ayo Omotosho.
Before the exercise, three aspirants — Funke Owoseni, Kayode Omoboya, and Yemi Ayodele Ayeni — stepped down from the race and endorsed Rotimi’s re-election bid.
Two days before the primary, political stakeholders across the constituency endorsed Rotimi’s return bid at a constituency-wide gathering attended by chairpersons of the eight LGAs and LCDAs, councillors, ward chairpersons, women leaders, youth leaders, and other party officials.
The outcome of the primary marks another electoral setback for Daramola, who represented the constituency in the seventh assembly and has made multiple attempts to return to the national assembly since leaving office in 2015.
Rotimi had also defeated Daramola in the 2023 general election.
