APC primaries: Gov. Sanwo-Olu seeks orderliness

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has appealed to APC members in the state to conduct themselves in an orderly manner in choosing delegates for the party’s primaries.

The governor made the call on Tuesday in Ikeja at a stakeholders meeting ahead of APC congresses and primaries.

He urged APC stakeholders to prioritise APC’s interest, while also abiding by guidelines and tenets of the party .

Major stakeholders invited to the meeting included, members of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), Conference 57, Lagos State House of Assembly, National Assembly and Technical Support Committees’ members.

“We need to conduct ourselves by the rules and regulations of our party so that we will not run foul of anything. We in Lagos are always law abiding.

“We are party men and women who are faithful to our party and we will continue to uplift the collective interest of our party. Moreso now that we believe that God is looking at us in Lagos for bigger things.

“The responsibility is for all of us in Lagos. We must also live, work and dream the tenets of the party – the rules and the guidelines of the party.

“We know how we do it in Lagos and we must do it well, properly and without any rancour or disturbance.

“Let us go out there and conduct ourselves fairly and in an order which is worthy of emulation. There should not be any form of misunderstanding and misgivings because we have a bigger agenda,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Speaking on behalf of the GAC, Mr Tajudeen Olusi, urged the party leaders to see themselves as stakeholders and invest more in the sustenance of the party.

“Some of us have invested a lot in the APC. We have even invested our respective lives into the party and politics. Many people don’t even know the risks,” Olusi said.

According to him, the party is faced with a crucial election in 2023, where some people are threatening to take Lagos from the progressives.

“We have to work and strive. It is important that we work. We must entrust this responsibility with people who have 100 per cent loyalties. We must tell ourselves, loyalty is being threatened and saboteurs are there,” he said.

Also speaking, the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, reiterated the superiority of the party and the need to sacrifice to keep the flag of APC flying.

Obasa said that since the party was in support of Sen. Bola Tinubu’s presidential ambition, leaders must be ready to pay the former governor back on his numerous sacrifices.

“Today, we are here to appeal to each other that we must be ready to support the party, we must be ready to work for the party and ensure that whatever decision the party has taken, it should be abided by,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Cornelius Ojelabi, the APC Lagos State Chairman, said that the congresses and primaries should not be seen as “a do or die affair” by the delegates.

According to him, the congress committee has been saddled with the responsibility of conducting a special congress to elect the five LGA delegates, five state delegates and the three national delegates on Wednesday.

Ojelabi said the meeting was called to let party leaders know the procedures and guidelines for the special congress.

He explained that the party expected the congress committee from Abuja on Monday, to conduct the congress, but they were delayed; hence the shift of the congress, earlier scheduled for Tuesday till Wednesday.

“What sort of sacrifice are we ready to make for the success of the exercise? How committed are we to see to the growth and expansion of APC?

“I want to appeal to all of us that tomorrow, let us demonstrate it that we have the capacity and what it takes to elect our representatives,” Ojelabi said.

Ojelabi, who urged party leaders to respect each other to build the party rather than destroying it, said all should sacrifice and mobilise for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration.