- By Isaac Olufemi Ojo
IBADAN – The Accord Party has officially declared Honourable Ismail Abidemi Lawal as its flag bearer to represent the Oyo Northeast/Southeast Federal Constituency in the upcoming national elections.
The declaration was made today at the Zonal Event Centre in the Jericho area of Ibadan, following a peaceful and orderly primary election.
According to the official results announced at the venue, Honourable Lawal secured the party’s ticket by polling 4,079 votes, comfortably defeating his opponent, Honourable Tunde Badmus, who garnered 1,020 votes.
Speaking shortly after the exercise, the State Secretary of the Accord Party, Honourable Yinka Dairo, described the event as a testament to the peace and unity currently enjoyed within the party.
“What we have witnessed here today is a primary election to elect our National Assembly candidate, and we have done that successfully,” Dairo stated. “You saw the process, the arrival of results from the various local governments, and how some aspirants stepped down for one another. It was a transparent and successful exercise monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
Addressing speculation regarding the status of the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Dairo dismissed rumours of a cancellation as baseless, describing such reports as “fake news.”
“There is no iota of truth in those rumours. The results of our primaries have been collated and sent to INEC in Abuja. I have personally written the report. On what basis would anyone want to nullify it? Our governorship candidate remains Honourable Olakunle Busari,” he clarified.
In his acceptance speech, Honourable Lawal expressed gratitude to the delegates and the party faithful for the overwhelming mandate, describing his victory as the realization of a long-held dream to serve his people.
“It feels good to be the voice my people have been yearning for all these years,” Lawal said. “I feel challenged, and I have always loved challenges—especially when it involves serving my community.
I appreciate everyone who turned out today to support me.”
Addressing the political landscape of his constituency, Lawal noted that the electorate are tired of the same set of politicians who only show empathy every four years to sway Nigerians of their votes with money.
“People are tired of lies. They want someone who will truly represent them. To those political stalwarts who believe they can buy votes, I promise you that on election day, the people will come out to defend their votes,” he declared.
He further appealed to the youth and the general public to shun voter apathy, urging them to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and participate actively in the democratic process.
“Do not let the failures of the past keep you from voting. There are many young, vibrant minds like myself waiting to serve. When we succeed, it will encourage others to come forward. Please, go out and get your PVCs and vote for the Accord Party,” he concluded.
