Some dissatisfied members of the All Progressives Congress,
APC, staged a protest on Saturday over what they described as the imposition of
chairmanship candidates in Lagos Mainland Local Government and Yaba Local
Council Development Area (LCDA) ahead of the July 12 local government elections
in Lagos State.
The protest followed the party’s chairmanship primary held
at its state secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja, where candidates for most of the
20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs)
emerged via consensus and indirect voting.
However, consensus reportedly failed in the Lagos Mainland
and Yaba councils, leading to unrest among party members.
The protesters, who gathered along Apapa Road in Ebute Metta
and later took their demonstration to Arise TV headquarters in Victoria Island,
accused local party leaders of attempting to impose unpopular candidates
without securing the consent of other aspirants.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Taorid Owolabi
insisted that no true consensus was reached and called for a rescheduled
primary in the affected councils.
He warned that any imposed candidacy would be challenged in
court unless all aspirants agreed unanimously.
According to the protesters, the alleged imposition
undermines the democratic principles the party claims to uphold and could fuel
internal divisions ahead of the local polls.
He said, “Despite extensive consultations among aspirants within
both LGAs, no consensus had been reached. This further underscore the need for
a transparent and inclusive process.
“We respectfully call on the State Working Committee to
reschedule the primary for a later date and select a suitable venue.
“We also urge the adoption of revised guidelines that
reflect the peculiar circumstances in our LG and LCDA, in full compliance with
the provisions of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, the
Electoral Act, and the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”
Another protester, Sodeeq Olawepo, cautioned that failure to
reach a unanimous consensus among aspirants could spark legal battles that
might ultimately cost the party its victory to the opposition.
He said, “We are fully aware of the ongoing intra-party crisis
affecting our local party structure in both Lagos Mainland LG and Yaba LCDA.
“This has led to a legal suit (Suit No. ID/8948GCM/2025)
currently pending before the Lagos State High Court.
“We call on well-meaning stakeholders of our great party to intervene
and help restore peace and fairness to our LG and LCDA. Failure to do so could
have grave consequences on the APC’s performance in the upcoming Local
Government elections and even the 2027 general election.”
As of Saturday evening, over 50 chairmanship candidates have
emerged from the APC primaries across the state.
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