Lagos LG Poll: APC members in Apapa threaten to dump party over alleged imposition of candidate

Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Apapa local government area of Lagos state have threatened to dump the Party over alleged imposition of Adele Elijah Owolabi as the Chairmanship candidate of the party in last Saturday’s primary elections that was marred by violence.

Top APC sources in the local government told DAILY POST via telephone that residents of the area have also concluded arrangements to work against the success of the Party if internal democracy is not allowed to thrive in the selection of candidates that will bear the APC flag in the forthcoming local government election in the state.

One of the sources, who is close ally of the Party’s National Leader, Bola Tinubu, but would not like to be named due to the sensitive nature of the issue, said that the ex-governor had earlier rejected the imposition of candidates in last
Saturday’s local government primaries but had to concede when he learnt the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, endorsed some persons including Owolabi as sole candidates of the party.

He said: “The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, forwarded Owolabi’s name to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as his preferred candidate for the chairmanship seat in Apapa.

“He was ill-advised to endorse Owolabi as sole candidate by Rep. Ayodeji Joseph – a current member of the National Assembly who was also a former council boss in Apapa.

“However, Tinubu had flatly rejected the aspiration of Adele Owolabi or even the imposition of any candidate at all.

“But this is politics; he had to concede and step aside from the entire process as mark of honour to the Acting President.”

Another source disclosed that plans have been concluded to mobilize residents in the area to exit the APC en masse and also work against the success of the Party in the forthcoming July 22nd local government elections in state, if the party leadership insists on fielding Owolabi as sole candidate.

He said: “A similar scenario played out in Amuwo Odofin, Ajeromi-Ifelodun and Ojo Local Government Areas (LGA) in the 2015 general elections where the APC lost some Federal House of Representative seats to protest votes.

“We do not have personal issues to join with any candidate. All we are asking for is a transparent, free and fair primary election in which the party’s flag bearer in the forthcoming local government elections will be democratically chosen by delegates.”

When DAILY POST reached out to an APC member known to be a staunch supporter of Adele Elijah Owolabi in the area for comments since Owolabi had been unreachable after the disrupted primary elections, the source accused a grassroots leader of the party in the area, Tunde Balogun, of masterminding the spate of protests that have rocked several part of Apapa in resistance of Owolabi’s candidature.

He source also accused Balogun of vowing to embarrass Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the area for allowing for the imposition of candidates during the primaries that ended abruptly.

Meanwhile, Tunde Balogun, told DAILY POST that the allegations were calculated attempts to smear his image and pitch him against Tinubu.

Balogun added that in his capacity as a member of the Lagos State Governor’s Advisory Council, if he had any reservation against the party fielding an aspirant that the community rejected, he would offer his advice and not incite the people against the party hierarchy.