Politics

APC members from Amuwo Odofin besiege party Secretariat over scare of substitution

Published

5 years ago

June 4, 2021

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Scores of youths and artisans from Amuwo Odofin Local Government on Saturday, besieged the All Progressives Congress secretariat at ACME in protest of alleged substitution of their preferred candidate’s name ahead of the July 24 council polls.

The clearly befuddled placards weilding individuals chant the name of their preferred candidate, Honourable Dipo Olorunrinu whom they claimed to have voted massively for, having been a bridge builder and a vibrant young man who can turn things around for good in Amuwo Odofin.

Some the inscriptions on the placards they raised up to drive their points read; ” GAC don’t steal our mandate,Dipo is our choice”,”Dipo Olorunrinu won in five wards;A1,A2,C,K,J no substitution”, “Amuwo Odofin voted for Dipo Olorunrinu”, “Dipo Olorunrinu is our man no substitution, Asiwaju help us”.

“Dipo Olorunrinu is a lover of the masses Asiwaju help us”, “Dipo we voted,Dipo we want”, “Valentine made us loose Federal House of Reps Election in 2019,Asiwaju give us Dipo” and many more.

The protesters led by Alhaji Hameed Ayodele, were barred from moving close to the gate of the secretariat by fierce looking policemen, they however noted that they had to stage the protest due to the rumoured attempt to subvert the will of the people.

As opposed to the recent official communication signed by the

Lagos State All Progressives Congress caretaker committee Chairman Alhaji Tunde Balogun and Secretary Honourable Lanre Ogunyemi adequately published in two reputable national dailies, where list of eligible candidates of the party for Chairmanship position and their running mates were availed the public.

They maintained that the name of Dipo Olorunrinu was published as the confirmation of the people’s will and should not be substituted at all.

Ayodele said “We are here to make a statement that needed serious attention. We contested election on May 29 for chairmanship and councillorship positions in our local government, Amuwo Odofin.

“In spite of all attacks, we tried to be peaceful and at the end of the day, Hon. Dipo Olorunrinu won the APC chairmanship tickets.

The party finally made the pronouncement that Hon. Dipo Olorunrinu was the winner but it is so unfortunate that after he was given form and signed, we are hearing that his name has been substituted for the current chairman to return him back to office.

“We cannot say candidly this is what the chairman has done for the past four years. We have the name of Dipo Olorunrinu released as winner of the primary, we want it to remain like that.

“We don’t want anything to upturn this mandate given to him. We want fair election and good democracy because that is what our Symbol, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is preaching.

“Dipo Olorunrinu has won the primary election, let our party leaders allow him. We are waiting for LASIEC to published the name of Olorunrinu as the Amuwo-Odofin:s APC chairmanship flag bearers and all councillors.

“We don’t want them altered. We want the state chairman, Alhaji Tunde Balogun and Secretary, Hon. Lanre Ogunyemi to do the right thing,we don’t want war in Amuwo.

“We will not allow that, majority of APC members that voted for Olorunrinu knew quite well that he can turn around Amuwo-Odofin for good. We know him and how he performed as a lawmaker.” Said Ayodele.

Another protester Ambassador Kingsley Nwaeze was quick to add that Hon.Dipo Olorunrinu ever since he joined APC has been sold out to the course of endearing the party to many in the locality, bearing the cost all alone as the incumbent council chairman Mr. Valentine Buraimoh has been all for himself and care less for the progress of the party.

He debunked the rumour linking the substitution idea to the national leader of the party Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that he will do no such thing especially anything against the will of the people.

” There are testimonies to it that Buraimoh led a failed administration,it is very evident in Amuwo Odofin,go to Amuwo Odofin you can’t find good roads, even the concrete blocks that he claimed to a model primary health centre is nothing to write home about.

“We are saying that Valentine Buraimoh has indeed suffered people of All Progressives Congress since he became the Chairman, he has cause division within the party rank and file and the members of the party and executive had indeed expressed their mandate not to have him again as their chairman.

“We are saying it now, we are appealing to our national Leader to allow Hon.Dipo to be named as our candidate because we want peace in Amuwo Odofin.

“It will affect the fortune of the party not just in Lagos State but across the country. We know the man Dipo Olorunrinu and the achievements he recorded as a former lawmaker before he joined APC and since he joined the APC he has been increasing the membership on a daily basis.

“Even in the last registration exercise he made funds available,I am saying it here to the leadership of the party that Valentine Buraimoh never made any funds available to support the registration of new members of the party in Amuwo Odofin and I say this with much emphasis that in 2019 Valentine Buraimoh was sleeping in his house, when we lost the Federal House of representatives sit as contested by Hon.Risikat Adegeye, Valentine Buraimoh is at the council for himself not for the not party.

“He has stolen enough from us, so we are appealing to our national leader to please let peace continue to reign in Amuwo Odofin. Hon. Dipo Olorunrinu is a known bridge builder he has gotten the commitment of the Ibo and Arewa communities to support the APC in the 2023 general election.

“We are saying if they substitute his name there is tendency that the party might be as it supposed to be in 2023.”

Alhaji Waheed Adewuni,a former party chairman in Amuwo Odofin and a Special Adviser to the incumbent Chairman on Special Duties and Projects, declared unequivocally that the council boss has been running his administration alone and had not been carrying members of his executives alonge in his operations.

“We have expressed that we no longer want what is bad in Amuwo Odofin,Valentine has been rejected by all the artisans,market women and others,no good roads,nothing to show for all the JAAC coming there every month.

I am S.A Special Duties and Projects,since I entered that council,none of us can say that this is the amount that is coming,we don’t know how he is operating he does his things with his senior brother whom he brought from Auchi.

Since the news of the rumoured substitution went viral, the PDP in Amuwo Odofin have been rejoicing that they will win the election because Dipo has been their worst nightmare in the coming election and if he is seemingly off their way,the coast is clear to victory for them.

“Also protest votes is envisaged though we have been pacifying our people against it,knowing that our party believes in justice”. Adewuni said.

Market women were also part of the protesters;Muniratu Sokunle and Madam Nimota Oriyomi all affirmed that Dipo Olorunrinu is a selfless giver who takes the welfare of the downtrodden as his responsibility.

“The vote for Dipo Olorunrinu that they wanted to substitute, is not good for us, we all despise that development, God is not also in support of that they should not do it.

“I am a widow he has been responsible for my upkeep and that of my children,thanks to him we would have suffered greatly as hapless individuals. We did not vote amiss, he is the one we voted for don’t give it to another person, he owns our vote we have been through alot let it amount to much for us. We urge Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene when we were ignored by Valentine, Dipo took us in.”.