Olusegun Ariyo
A coalition of concerned residents from Agege and Orile-Agege, under the banner of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), staged a peaceful protest on Tuesday to voice their dissatisfaction over the conduct of the recently concluded All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries for the forthcoming local government elections.
The demonstrators, in their numbers, marched with placards bearing messages such as “Justice for Agege,” “Say No to Political Imposition,” and “Let the Will of the People Prevail,” as they decried what they described as a breach of democratic principles and undue interference in the party’s candidate selection process.
Their protest was triggered by the emergence of a chairmanship candidate for Agege Local Government allegedly backed by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, in a process the protesters claim lacked transparency and credibility.
Addressing the gathering, PCC Chairman Mr Sabitu Kamorudeen condemned the outcome of the May 10 primaries, asserting that the results did not reflect the will of the party’s grassroots members. He alleged that the exercise was manipulated to serve the interests of a few influential figures, at the expense of genuine democratic participation.
“These results are not only misleading but a gross misrepresentation of the democratic will of our party members in Agege and Orile-Agege. The outcome lacked due process and was marred by exclusionary tactics and undue interference,” he said.
Kamorudeen further alleged that ahead of the primaries, multiple aspirants were deliberately denied access to nomination forms and endorsements. He also claimed that some were reportedly pressured to step down from the race.
He added that there had been an initial push to impose the candidacy of an individual closely linked to Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, an attempt he said was eventually reversed after internal party consultations.
“Our preferred candidate remains Bukola Sofidiya, popularly known as Gidado. The attempt to present another candidate through non-transparent means is unacceptable to us and undermines party unity,” he said.
Kamorudeen called on the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership at both the state and national levels to step in and safeguard the party’s core values of fairness and internal democracy.
“We appeal to the party’s leadership, state chairman, National Working Committee, Board of Trustees, and other stakeholders to ensure equity and justice in the conduct of party affairs. No individual should hold undue influence over the collective will of the people,” he added.
As of press time, attempts to obtain a response from Speaker Obasa or his aides regarding the allegations were unsuccessful.
