LAGOS APC RECEIVES OVER 100 PETITIONS CHALLENGING LG PRIMARY
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LAGOS APC RECEIVES OVER 100 PETITIONS CHALLENGING LG PRIMARY
The Appeal Committee of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State has received over 100 petitions from aggrieved aspirants for the local government chairmanship and councillorship positions.
The aggrieved aspirants of the party, spread across the 57 local councils in Lagos, are challenging the outcome of the primaries conducted by the party last Saturday that produced candidates for the chairmanship and councillorship seats for the upcoming July 12 local government elections.
The PUNCH reports that since the primary election held at the party’s secretariat on ACME Road, to produce candidates through indirect election and consensus for the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas, protests have trailed the results.
On Tuesday, hundreds of aggrieved APC members trooped out in Agege, Ikeja, Somolu, and other areas in Lagos to reject the results of the primaries, accusing some leaders of the party of imposing candidates.
The party had on Monday set up the appeal committee led by the Attorney General of Lagos State and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), to look into the concerns of the aggrieved members.
On Wednesday, The PUNCH gathered that the panel had received petitions from 45 chairmanship aspirants and 59 councillorship aspirants spread across the various local council areas.
The spokesperson for the Lagos APC, Oluseye Oladejo, confirmed this to our correspondent in an exclusive chat.
The party has received “45 chairmanship petitions and 59 councillorship petitions,” he stated.
“The committee will conclude its assignment this week,” the party’s image maker added.
The appeal panel had set 12 pm on Tuesday as the deadline for the submission of petitions by aggrieved aspirants.
Meanwhile, a civil society organisation, the United Action for Democracy, has demanded an investigation into the controversies trailing the conduct of the APC primaries.
The group warned that the 2027 general election was at stake given the developments stemming from the party’s recently conducted primaries in Lagos.
The UAD’s General Secretary, Kunle Ajayi, while addressing a press conference at Abule Egba, Lagos, on Wednesday, said the APC primary election was “an example of how the local government autonomy and democracy are being rubbished by the powers that be, denying the working people ample chances to participate in true governance.”
The group alleged a “subversion of democratic norms during the recently conducted APC local government primary elections in Lagos State.”
“In Agege, there have been massive protests over impositions. These actions not only threaten the sanctity of the democratic process but also set a dangerous precedent for future elections, including the 2027 general election.”
Ajayi warned that if investigations were not done, the development could affect the 2027 elections “and further alienate Nigerians from democratic participation.”
He added, “We stand firm in our resolve to expose, challenge, and resist all forms of anti-democratic manipulation. We call on all lovers of democracy, within and outside Nigeria, to join us in the struggle.”
The executives of the APC in Lagos have denied allegations of candidate imposition during the primaries.
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