Eyitayo Jegede early Thursday morning won the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship ticket in Ondo state.
He will challenge the incumbent and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governor Rotimi Akeredolu who is lost to in the 2016 election.
Jegede polled 888 to defeat seven others including deputy governor Agboola Ajayi, who defected from the APC to PDP to contest for the ticket.
Ajayi garnered 657 votes in an election marred by vote buying.
The process began following the arrival of members of the PDP primary committee led by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state around 1.30pm
No fewer than 2, 111 delegates from 18 local government areas were accredited. Other aspirants who made little impact in the shadow poll are: Bode Ayorinde (95), Sola Ebiseni (29), Senator Boluwaji Kunlere (33), Banji Okunomo (90), Dr. Eddy Olafeso (175) and Godd Erewa (14).
Ugwuanyi had warned against unruly behaviour before he distributed ballot papers to the delegates.
Shortly after the accreditation, some PDP youths raised the alarm that four persons had been caught thumb printing ballot papers ahead of voting.
But, it was later discovered that the allegedly thumb-printed papers were specimens.
The Ondo State Police Command deployed no fewer than 800 policemen to monitor the primary.
Police Public Relations Officer Tee-Leo Ikoro, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), told reporters at the venue that the purpose was to ensure safety of lives and properties.