Imposition: Fear of protest votes grips APC in Lagos

There are indications of panic by the State All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos of probable protest votes by delegates at the various primaries against imposition of candidates by the godfather and party Governing Advisory Council (GAC).

The endorsement of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu by the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the GAC members generated some resentments in the party, as some members argued that the endorsement shuts the door against other intended aspirants.

Accordingly, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, at the State APC Stakeholders’ meeting on Tuesday at the Secretariat at Acme Road, Ogba, urged APC leaders and members to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner during the primary elections and congresses of the party in the State. The governor also urged members to abide by the tenets of the party during the primary elections, including the elections of local government, state, and national delegates.
According to Governor Sanwo-Olu: “it is the responsibility of party members to live, work and dream in the tenets of the party as APC conducts its congresses across the state on Wednesday and, therefore, urged the party’s faithful to conduct themselves in an orderly manner and comply with the party’s guidelines.”

The leader of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the highest leadership body of Lagos APC, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, enjoined all party members to work hard for the ruling party to retain Lagos during the 2023 general elections.

Olusi also advised the party members to ensure that people with integrity are elected during APC congresses and primaries, saying that they must discourage saboteurs from being elected as delegates and party candidates during the APC primaries and 2023 polls, respectively.

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, also urged APC members to support, work and abide by any decision made to ensure the party’s success in order for it to continue to reign. He told party members to sacrifice where necessary for the common interest and the progress of the ruling party, especially, in the interest of the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who is running for the 2023 presidency.

The State APC Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, emphasized that the business of forthcoming congress and primary elections of the party should not be seen as a do or die affair by the delegates. He told party members to see both the congress and the primaries as a contest.

Pastor Ojelabi encouraged  party members to use internal mechanisms to resolve conflicts, warning that no local government chairman or party chairman at the council level had a right to write a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for redress on any issue without first exploring the internal conflict resolution of the party.

in attendance at the stakeholders meeting were Governor Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, GAC members, Lagos APC executives, members of the Lagos State Executive Council, members of the National Assembly and Lagos State House of Assembly, Conference 57 and party’s chairmen from 20 local governments and state’s technical support committee, among others.