TheCable

Bolaji Abdullahi, a former minister of youth and sports development, has won the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket to contest a seat on the senate.

Abdullahi clinched the PDP ticket to contest the Kwara central senatorial seat at the primary held on Monday.

In April, Abdullahi was named the consensus candidate for the race after two hopefuls were said to have voluntarily withdrawn from the contest.

Bukola Saraki, a presidential hopeful on the PDP platform and former president of the senate, is from the senatorial district.

Yahaya Oloriegbe, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), currently holds the seat.

The former minister was elected through consensus by delegates, at the exercise held at the Mariam Event Centre in Ilorin, the Kwara capital.

Speaking after the exercise, which was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abdullahi said he would not take the opportunity for granted.

“It is an opportunity that I don’t take for granted,” he said.

“It is one I take very seriously because I believe that in a democracy, the national assembly is the centre of the representation of the people. I take this responsibility very seriously.”

The former minister currently runs the Bolaji Abdullahi mentorship programme, which is targeted at empowering Nigerian youths.

Meanwhile, Isa Bawa, a former commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs in Kwara; and Rafiu Ibrahim, a former senator, also won the PDP tickets to represent Kwara north and south, respectively.

Bawa and Ibrahim were also elected as consensus candidates.