Angry reactions have trailed the just-concluded All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmanship primaries in Lagos State, as aggrieved aspirants and party groups condemned the alleged imposition of candidates and what they described as a subversion of internal democracy.
The controversy follows the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission’s (LASIEC) announcement that elections into the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) will hold on July 12. However, the APC primaries that produced chairmanship candidates for these positions have now become a source of tension and protest within the party.
Out of 470 aspirants who submitted nomination forms, 432 were cleared, and 55 eventually emerged as chairmanship candidates in the primaries conducted at the APC state secretariat in Ogba. Yet, the process has been widely criticized, with some delegates boycotting the exercise in Lagos Mainland LGA and Yaba LCDA over unresolved internal disputes.
High-profile aspirants, including former lawmaker Yinka Ogundimu and LAGFERRY boss Ladi Balogun, lost out during the exercise. However, ex-House of Representatives member Babatunde Hunpe emerged as the APC candidate for Badagry Local Government.
Allegations of Imposition and Internal Crisis
One of the loudest criticisms came from the incumbent Chairman of Onigbongbo LCDA, Olufunke Hassan, who described the emergence of Moyosore Adebanjo as the APC candidate as a “kangaroo process” and an “imposition.”
“A rumour has come to my notice of the imposition of one Moyosore Adebanjo as the APC Chairmanship Candidate for Onigbongbo LCDA,” Hassan said. “The charade that took place at the APC state Secretariat in Lagos was orchestrated by a party leader and her cohorts. It cannot stand the test of morality or judicial scrutiny.”
Similarly, in Amuwo-Odofin LGA, a political group under the banner of the Progressives Group rejected what it termed “external imposition” and vowed to resist any candidate not rooted in the local community.
“We say no to political mercenaries who seek to hijack our future,” the group stated. “This is a movement to restore dignity, autonomy, and people-centred development to Amuwo-Odofin.”
Legal Concerns Over LCDAs
In a related development, former Minister of Communications, Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (retd), and other political figures have raised concerns over the legality of conducting elections in the 37 LCDAs, which are not constitutionally recognized.
“Elections should be conducted only in the 20 constitutionally recognised LGAs,” Olanrewaju argued. “Anything outside of this is unconstitutional and could render the election process null and void.”
The Youth Party (YP) Chairmanship Candidate for Eti-Osa, Ayodele Adio, echoed similar sentiments, citing ongoing legislative efforts by federal lawmakers to legalise the LCDAs as evidence of their current unconstitutional status.
“Until the Constitution is amended to include the LCDAs, it is illegal to conduct elections in them,” Adio said. “Even President Tinubu, who created the LCDAs during his tenure as governor, has not allocated federal funds to them since becoming president.”
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