A civil society organisation based in Lagos, the Coalition for Equity at the Grassroots (CEG) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and prominent leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to intervene and prevent the party from imploding over the coming local government elections in the state.
The group, in a press statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Adele Abiola has cried out over alleged manipulation and outright impunities being perpetrated by some leaders of the party in state in attempts to impose their favoured candidates on the people even when such candidates are not popular with the people nor possess the requisite qualifications.
“There are serious anxiety, anger and confusion over news filtering in that the Saturday chairmanship primaries that vote would not be counted and that delegates would be told to go home once they have voted and will not witness counting of votes.
“There are serious allegations that the electoral committee headed by Mr. Babatunde Ogala (SAN) is being teleguided and would be handed a prepared list of successful aspirants across the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) who are unpopular which was compiled without the input of prominent local government leaders and influential leaders.
“Such local governments are: Ajeromi Ifelodun, Alimosho, Eti-Osa, Lagos Island, Ikeja, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos Mainland, Apapa, Agege and Ojo among others,” the group said.
The group cited instances of a local government where a prominent party chieftain is hell bent on imposing his son on the people, an LCDA where an aspirant is being imposed on people even when he has not participated in any of the party’s programmes or meetings in the council; a council where the riverine communities have been turned to spectators in the sharing of political offices even though they have always delivered during elections and a local government where the best and most popular aspirant was blatantly denied clearance by the screening committee.
According to CEG, if the President and other leaders did not intervene, the APC in Lagos State may face implosion.
“Unpopular aspirants populate the list compiled and there were desperation to ensure that Saturday‘s chairmanship election would be held at APC secretariat at ACME, to teleguide the process and ensure that votes would not count.
“We all know that the Electoral Act stipulates that all primary elections should be held in wards, constituencies and local governments. Yet, the APC leadership in Lagos wants to go ahead with the Impunity and perpetrating illegality.
“There are wide spread disenchantment across the 20LGAs and 37LCDAs among party leadership and members over the issue of prepared list to which many have alleged is being done to favour the highest bidders in many places.
“Many party faithful are of the opinion that Lagos APC never learnt from past electoral decline at the last 2023 general election, which embarrassingly made President Bola Tinubu to lose Lagos state.
“The current leadership of the party in Lagos is carrying impunity to another level. We are telling them that the people are not happy and if they feel they can short-changed the people this time around because it is the local government elections, the people will have their revenge during the general elections and the party may not be able to control it.
“It’s strange and unbelievable that the APC leadership in Lagos have forgotten 2023 so soon.
“Mr President sir, please you need to act before these people destroy the party in the state,” the CEG Executive Secretary warned.
