ABDULHAKEEM Lawal, son of a former governor of Kwara State Mohammed Lawal, has emerged as the flag bearer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the 2023 governorship election in the state.

Lawal polled 33 votes to defeat a former chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) Oba AbdulRaheem, who got 16 votes, in the primary election held on Wednesday at Savannah Event Centre in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

A former gubernatorial aspirant under the APC in 2019 Tajudeen Audu came third with 10 votes.

Other aspirants include Sunday Babalola, Kale Belgore, a former special assistant to Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, and a former commissioner in the state, Kaleel Bolaji.

Babalola got two votes, while Before and Bolaji did not get any votes.

The ICIR had reported that Lawal promised to change the fortunes of the state for good.