Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola Nigeria’s Minister of Interior sponsored aspirants in All Progressives Congress, (APC), Alimosho Local Government Area chapter namely Hon Kehinde Joseph, Barr Rotimi Ogunwuyi and Barr Ganiyu Adele Ayuba are claiming victory against HE Adejoke Orelope Adefulire’s Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari (SDG Office) and former Lagos State Deputy Governor sponsored and other non-aligned aspirants in the House of Assembly and House of Representatives primaries held last weekend.
The earlier scheduled House of Assembly primaries for Thursday 26th May that was postponed statewide, was greeted with violent protest by the elements loyal to the Orelope Adefulire led factions, who believed the Aregbesola led faction is playing a script, the vehicles of Agbado Oke Odo, (David Famuyiwa), Alimosho, (Jelili Sulaimon) Ayobo Ipaja (Agnes Shobowale), Mosan Okunola (Dayo Oshinowo) council chairmen and vice chairman respectively were vandalized by rioters, it took the intervention of mobile policemen to escort these public officers to safety from the Mosan Okunola LCDA secretariat venue of the constituency 01 primary.
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The Orelope Adefulire faction argued that there is no way they can defeat the Aregbesola (The G-18) led faction having 30 out of the 55 delegates in the federal constituency with 11 wards, especially as statutory delegates were disqualified from participating in the primaries by the amended electoral law.
As clearly defined defeat looms the Orelope Adefulire led factions had no choice than to lobby that the 50:50 power sharing agreement be implemented with the Aregbesola led G-18 retaining Alimosho State Constituency 02 with Hon Kehinde Joseph, Alimosho State Constituency 01 to the nomination of the Orelope Adefulire led faction (Hon Luqmon Orelope) and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu taking the honour of choosing any out of the nine aspirants contesting the House of Representatives ticket.
Friday 27th primaries in Alimosho State Constituency 01 held with Rotimi Ogunwuyi declared the winner with 19 votes (exclusively G-18 majority delegates) while Luqmon Orelope came second with 15 votes (exclusively Veterans / Liberation Movement delegates) and nonaligned Abiodun Mafe having 1 vote. This development did not come as a surprise as it was foretold and inevitable.
The Alimosho State Constituency 02 also held with Hon Kehinde Joseph victory assured with the G-18 delegates majority. Fracas however erupted before State Constituency 01 delegates joined their counterparts in Constituency 02 for the House of Representatives primary.
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The Igando Ikotun LCDA secretariat venue of the primaries recorded two deaths and several others sustaining injuries, while the Orelope Adefulire led delegates had to boycott the primary, the Aregbesola G-18 delegates were ushered through the bloodbath melee into the office of the Igando Ikotun LCDA council chairman Lasisi Akinsanya himself a G-18 delegate, where the primary took place, absent the Veterans / Liberation delegates.
Alimosho federal constituency primaries is designed to deliver the G-18 sponsored aspirants, what held was done amidst defined outcomes achieved via intimidation, chaos, bloodbath, deaths and delegates disenfranchisement, with Alimosho APC Veterans/ Liberation Movement factions and the non-aligned insisting there were no primaries.