Eti-Osa stakeholders urge Tinubu to protect mandate of Noheem Adams
Members and aggrieved aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, yesterday, demanded the cancellation of the party’s House of Representatives and House of Assembly primary election results in several constituencies, alleging widespread irregularities, voter intimidation and violations of the party’s electoral guidelines.
The development sparked protests at the APC state secretariat in Ogba, where party members, supporters and loyalists of affected aspirants called on the party leadership and various appeal committees to investigate the conduct of the primaries and reverse outcomes they claimed did not reflect the will of party members.
The constituencies at the centre of the controversy include Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituencies I and II, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I and Somolu Constituency II.
A House of Representatives aspirant, Ayodele Adebowale Adewale, who challenged the outcome of the APC primary election in Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency, 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 and that party members were accredited merely through the presentation of APC slips without proper verification of identity or membership status.
Similarly, House of Assembly aspirant for Amuwo Odofin Constituency II, David Olukoya 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.
In Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, another petition alleged widespread procedural violations, result manipulation and irregular collation of results during the House of Representatives primary election.
Also under scrutiny is the APC House of Representatives primary election in Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I.
According to a report submitted to party leaders, the primary election was successfully conducted across the constituency’s five wards, with Stephen Ogundipe reportedly polling 11,939 votes against Mayowa Alakija’s 3,086 votes.
However, the report alleged that after the election, the returning officer, AbdulRasaq Omoloja, succeeded in transmitting what supporters described as the authentic results to the APC national secretariat.
Supporters of Ogundipe urged the party leadership to uphold the results already transmitted by the electoral committee and reject any attempt to alter the outcome.
The controversy has also spread to Somolu Constituency II, where the incumbent lawmaker, Samuel Olu Apata, petitioned the party over what he described as an attempt to overturn the outcome of the House of Assembly primary election.
Meanwhile, a coalition of party stakeholders from Eti-Osa Constituency I has launched an urgent appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the party’s national leadership to protect the democratic mandate of incumbent lawmaker, Noheem Adams.
The appeal follows growing anxiety over an alleged plot by certain forces to overturn and disregard the outcome of the party’s primary election in the constituency.
Leader of the coalition, Owolabi Yisa, while speaking during a media briefing yesterday, called on Tinubu, the national leadership of the APC and the Lagos State APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, to urgently intervene and redress the unfolding situation.
Also, a prominent member of the group, Surajudeen Abejamu, expressed the frustration of the grassroots voters.
Another party leader, Lukman Abiodun, echoed the sentiment, stressing that the movement is entirely about defending democratic choices.
The coalition noted that discarding a candidate who enjoys the backing of traditional rulers, religious leaders, market associations and community development associations would only open the door wide for opposition parties to gain an advantage.
The stakeholders maintained that Adams’ popularity is rooted in years of accessible leadership, youth empowerment, educational support programmes and effective legislative advocacy.
They, therefore, called on Tinubu, as leader of the party, to step in, uphold the primary results and shield Eti-Osa from an avoidable internal crisis.
