The looming party crisis in the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has deepened following the just concluded primary elections for the House of Representatives and House of Assembly held on Friday May 27, 2022 across the state.
The political wrangling rocking APC in the state has worsened owing to the struggle for power between the Governor, who wants his new allies to take a majority in the next 10th house of assembly, and the incumbent speaker of the house of assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.
This is a silent raging issue whose fire is spreading fast across the 40 constituencies of Lagos state and is condemnable.
The crisis is said to be rocking many local government chapters of the party with alleged nefarious activities of Governor Sanwoolu who after securing his second term ticket has been working assiduously just to have the entire party machinery in his beck and call.
Governor Of Lagos State, Babajide Olusola Sanwoolu is currently being alleged of building his political structure against the existing structure that interconnects and unify Lagos like a broom.
Putting the All Progressives Congress(APC) Chapter of Lagos in disarray with this treacherous journey of hijacking the party structure which may spell doom for Sanwoolu’s led Lagos APC that has not only being accused of underperformance but also unpopular amongst Lagosians and APC grassroot politicians ahead of election with a teeth gnashing desperate PDP.
Sanwoolu working seriously in connivance with the state party chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi and the conference 57 of the council chairmen just to undermine the existing party structures across the 20LGs and 37LCDAs by giving the elected Chairmen prerogative rights to submit state house of assembly elections delegates’ list and superintend over the state election. What political trajectory and effrontery in the political history of Lagos state
Lagos has too many more issues at hand politically than these needless internal squabbles. What is the Governor’s interest in the Lagos State Assembly?
It is sad that Lagos cannot move politically without the presence of APC National Leader and party presidential flag bearer for the 2023 general election, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Those he left home for have turned themselves into demi-gods. They abuse their power to advance their own political interests while disregarding the interests and desires of the grassroots (the majority of whom are party members).
Reports by Kosofe Post have it that the crisis was linked to the imposition of aspirants in some areas, which include Badagry, Eti-Osa, Kosofe, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Lagos Island and many other places.
In Eti-Osa Federal Constituency, the decision on who takes the APC House of Representatives ticket has raised rancour between Elegushi’s brother and Obanikoro’s son.
The younger brother of a top Lagos monarch, the Elegushi of Ikate Land, won with 25 votes, defeating incumbent Ibrahim Babajide Obanikoro, who received 23 votes.
It was gathered that party leaders were said to have prevailed on Elegushi to relinquish the ticket to Obanikoro, who is seeking a second term as a federal lawmaker.
The supporters of the lawyer staged a peaceful protest to kick against the move, insisting that Elegushi must not step down for anyone and express their displeasure with the decision of the party.
In Kosofe Federal Constituency, the residents living in the community had continued to express their disapproval over the outcome of the APC primary election that produced Mrs. Kafilat Ogbara as the party’s flag bearer for the House of Representatives seat after all delegates had voted and were waiting for results to be announced, and only for them to see a different name as flag bearer to represent the Kosofe Federal Constituency.
Onground information gathered showed that Kafilat Ogbara’s victory was an imposition of the candidate by their Council Chairman, which was set to be against the interests of the apex leader in the constituency, Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye.
In Badagry Constituency 1, the outcome of the House of Assembly election produced both Hon Yahaya Lateef and Hon Solomon Saanu Bonu with a tie of 14 votes at the primaries, leaving the party to decide on who would be the winner of the election.
According to sources, the announcement of Hon. Solomon Saanu Bonu as the party’s flag bearer has raised a cloud of uncertainty in Badagry politics.
In Ikeja Constituency 1, the incumbent Lai Muhammed’s son, Folajimi, lost the ticket in his third term bid to Onigbongbo LCDA, former legislative leader of the house and political son of the Chief of Staff to Governor Babajide Sanwoolu, Tayo Ayinde, and Hon Seyi Mohammed.
Ikorodu Constituency 2 is another affected area where Saka Solaja, who has the backing of the GAC leader and other apex leaders from Ikorodu Division, was politically robbed by backers of Aro Moshood Abiodun, allegedly accused as a PDP man with no official response to allegations leveled against him and no records of being an APC member for a year as party guidelines require.
It was learnt that the failure of the officials from the party to count and record the outcome of the election on the results sheet in the presence of aspirants in Ikorodu constituency 2 and their agents continued to aggravate a lot of concern towards the outcome of the election, which favoured Aro Moshood among party leaders in the constituency.
in the case of Oshodi-Isolo Constituency 1 & 2, the State Assembly was done in a hatchet way with MC Oluomo hijacking the process which led to the emergence of an unpopular candidate who has no acceptance and credibility within the constituency.
Oshodi-Isolo Constituency 2, Hon. Jude Idimogu, a grassroots mobilizer who is seen to be the candidate of the Igbo extraction of the APC within the axis as the area is an igbo-dominated area was schemed out of the process to pave way for an unpopular candidate in the person of Ladi Ajomale.
Oshodi-Isolo Local Government is another real political ground that Asiwaju must do everything to resolve before this crisis slits the robs that bind APC together in Lagos state.
In Lagos Island constituency 2, Lanre Afinni was defeated by his predecessor, Sola Giwa, but the recent decision taken by the party leadership that Sola Giwa should withdraw from Lanre Afinni, who lost his second term ticket in the primary election, was gathered to have also raised uproar among party members in the constituency.
Going forward, Asiwaju needs to come home and patch these cracked walls in his political home ground. It is about time for Tinubu to look inward and unite his home-ground, as the battle ahead of the APC is far greater than the internal squabbles that are silently confronting and excruciatingly killing APC in Lagos State.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as a matter of urgency should beam his light into the affairs of the Lagos Chapter of the All Progressive Congress as all seems not to be well with the state party structure he bequeathed to Governor Sanwoolu using the State party chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi (who failed to study to study what befell his predecessor, Tunde Balogun when the ships were down) and the council chairmen most of whom are not on good records of electorates because of their abysmal failure to deliver true dividends of democracy to the people and ordinary party members. Exclusive of few of the performing Council Chairmen who are worthy ambassadors of principles of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is today amongst the people is rated performer per excellence, and a builder of men and nations.
The popular event of Monday with the sharing of INEC Forms to loyalists of Sanwoolu at the APC Lagos Secretariat who emerged under a dubious arrangement is an evidence that Lagos is currently sitting on a timed bomb.