Olusegun ARIYO
Ahead of Thursday’s All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship primary election in Lagos State, one of the aspirants, Lanre Jim-Kamal, has insisted that there is no officially endorsed candidate in the race, stressing that all contestants should participate in a transparent direct primary process.
Jim-Kamal made the remarks on Monday during the unveiling of his five-point agenda in Lagos, where he said his administration would focus on addressing what he described as longstanding irregularities in the state’s political and governance system.
According to him, the signing of the 2026 Electoral Act by President Bola Tinubu reflected support for direct primaries and opposition to the culture of candidate imposition within political parties.
He argued that the president’s endorsement of direct primaries was rooted in a desire to strengthen internal democracy and discourage predetermined candidacies.
Jim-Kamal urged delegates expected to participate in the governorship primary to vote according to their conscience and support a candidate capable of providing effective leadership for Lagos State.
“I urge the delegates to open their eyes and vote for the person who will lead us well,” he said.
The APC aspirant also appealed for a peaceful conduct of the exercise, stating that Lagos should demonstrate political maturity and serve as a model for other states across the country.
“Let us be peaceful. Let us go out and show other states that we are no more ‘Eko for Show’ but ‘Eko for Action’. We are going to lead by example this time around,” he stated.
Speaking further, Jim-Kamal described the planned exercise as a direct primary to be conducted using the Option A4 system, noting that although the APC was not traditionally known for that method, the party had now embraced it.
“That is what is happening now, direct primary, what they call Option A4. APC may not be used to it because it has been more common with other parties, but now they have started it,” he said.
The governorship aspirant also dismissed reports suggesting that there was a consensus arrangement in favour of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat.
According to him, reports of endorsement were exaggerated, claiming that only five members of the party’s Governorship Advisory Council, GAC, allegedly backed Hamzat out of the council’s larger membership.
He further stated that the council chairman had recently denied claims that any aspirant had been officially endorsed.
Jim-Kamal criticised the idea of consensus candidacies within political parties, arguing that such arrangements often create resentment and division among party members.
“If consensus stands, the deputy governor will not be running from pillar to post seeking support. Consensus breeds bad blood. There is nothing like a consensus. We are all equal in this race,” he said.
