A former Commissioner for Information in Ogun State, Mr Sina Kawonise, has been elected the governorship candidate of YES Electorates Solidarity Party, (YES Party).
The election, which held in Abeokuta on Sunday and witnessed by INEC officials, also had three aspirants emerging as candidates for the three Senatorial districts of the state, six for House of Representatives; while 24 emerged as candidates for House of Assembly. All the 34 candidates left Social Democratic Party (SDP) with Kawonise to pick the tickets of YES.
Prominent among those elected for Senate and House of Representatives are Alhaja Basirat Sonekan-Umaru, a Diasporan based in Maryland, USA, Mr Muyiwa Onabanjo, Pastor Segun Ogunnaike, among other prominent Ogun indigenes.
In an unprecedented move, YES Party gave three out of the 26 available House of Assembly seats to non-indigenes and one to a physically-challenged person. Kawonise explained that the four seats were reserved for those special categories of Ogun residents to give them a sense of belonging and opportunity to participate in governance at the highest levels in the state.
It would be recalled that SDP conducted its governorship primary last Thursday. It was alleged that the primary was fraught with fraud and violence, leading to the exit of two out of the three aspirants that contested the election.
In his acceptance speech, Kawonise promised to run an issues-driven campaign that’ll provide Ogun electorates the real alternative they have been yearning for.
YES Party has as its Presidential candidate Comrade Alistair Soyode, Chairman of Ben TV, London.