Aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, on Tuesday stormed the party’s secretariat in Ogba, protesting alleged irregularities that characterised the recently concluded House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly primary elections in several constituencies.
The protesters, comprising party members, supporters and loyalists of aggrieved aspirants, called on the APC leadership and the party’s various appeal committees to investigate the conduct of the primaries and reverse what they described as widespread violations of the party’s constitution and electoral guidelines.
The bone of contention, they claimed, was that after the party primaries, especially the State House of Assembly Primaries, aspirants who scored highest numbers were shortchanged and persons who did not even participate in the primaries were rewarded with tickets.
The placard carrying protesters appealed to the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who incidentally is also the leader of the party, to intervene so that the right thing would be done.
Among the constituencies at the centre of the controversy are Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency, Amuwo Odofin Constituency II, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I and Somolu Constituency II.
One of the petitions was filed by House of Representatives aspirant, Ayodele Adebowale Adewale, who challenged the outcome of the APC primary election in Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency.
In a petition addressed to the APC House of Representatives Primary Appeal Committee, Adewale alleged that the exercise conducted across the constituency’s 11 wards was marred by serious procedural irregularities.
He claimed that no official APC membership register was presented during accreditation, while party members were allegedly accredited merely through the presentation of APC slips without proper verification of identity or membership status.
The aspirant further alleged that many of the slips used during the exercise were unofficial and may have been mass-produced outside approved party structures.
Adewale consequently urged the committee to conduct a full and independent investigation into the accreditation and voting processes across the 11 wards, review all materials and procedures used during the exercise, nullify the results of the House of Representatives primary election in the constituency and ensure strict compliance with APC constitutional provisions and electoral guidelines in future exercises.
He also submitted video evidence, which he said captured his interaction with officials during accreditation in Festac 1 Ward and documented concerns over the conduct of the exercise.
Similarly, House of Assembly aspirant for Amuwo Odofin Constituency II, Hon. David Olukoya Doherty, petitioned the APC Primary Appeal Committee over alleged irregularities in the primary election conducted across the constituency’s seven wards.
Doherty alleged that the process lacked transparency from the outset, claiming that the selection of returning officers was influenced in favour of the incumbent lawmaker and that aspirants were excluded from key decisions, including the choice of voting venues.
He also raised concerns over the absence of a verified membership register and alleged that accreditation was conducted using APC slips without proper identity checks.
The aspirant further alleged that armed individuals disrupted the exercise in the riverine wards of H, I and J through intimidation and gunfire, forcing party members to flee and rendering the process inconclusive in those areas.
He asked the committee to conduct a full, independent and transparent investigation into the election across the seven wards, review all accreditation materials and procedures, nullify the primary election results, discipline individuals found culpable of any wrongdoing and guarantee strict adherence to APC rules and guidelines in future primaries.
