….Protesters demand contemporary primaries, warn of authorized motion forward of July 12 native elections
Some aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State on Saturday staged a peaceable protest over the alleged imposition of chairmanship candidates in Lagos Mainland Native Authorities and Yaba Native Council Improvement Space (LCDA).
Sunday Telegraph stories that the protest adopted the APC’s chairmanship primaries held on the social gathering’s state secretariat on Acme Highway, Ikeja, the place most candidates throughout 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs reportedly emerged by way of consensus and oblique voting.
However through the primaries, consensus broke down in Lagos Mainland and Yaba, triggering unrest amongst social gathering trustworthy.
Protesters gathered alongside Apapa Highway in Ebute Metta and marched to Come up TV headquarters in Victoria Island, carrying placards and chanting slogans in opposition to what they described as an “Undemocratic course of.”
READ ALSO:
Talking on behalf of the protesters, Taorid Owolabi rejected claims of consensus in each councils. He asserted that no real settlement had been reached amongst aspirants and urged the APC State Working Committee to reschedule the primaries.
“Regardless of in depth consultations amongst aspirants, no consensus had been reached,” Owolabi mentioned.
“We name on the committee to organise a contemporary, clear major and undertake revised tips tailor-made to the realities of Lagos Mainland and Yaba LCDA.”
He warned that any try to impose candidates would face authorized challenges except all aspirants agreed unanimously.
One other protester, Sodeeq Olawepo, revealed that discontent amongst social gathering members had already escalated into authorized motion.
He cited a pending swimsuit—Swimsuit No. ID/8948GCM/2025—on the Lagos State Excessive Court docket, which seeks to problem the legitimacy of the alleged consensus candidates.
“Our social gathering faces severe inside division in these councils. If leaders fail to behave now, the APC might lose not simply the upcoming July 12 native authorities elections, but additionally face setbacks within the 2027 common election,” Olawepo warned.
The protesters emphasised that the alleged imposition contradicts the Electoral Act, the Lagos State Unbiased Electoral Fee (LASIEC) tips, and the 1999 Structure (as amended).
As of Saturday night, greater than 50 APC chairmanship candidates have emerged from the primaries carried out throughout Lagos State.
Most of them secured their tickets by way of consensus preparations or oblique votes, although stories of unrest persist in remoted instances.
The protesters urged APC stakeholders to intervene and restore peace, equity, and inside democracy throughout the social gathering construction in Lagos Mainland and Yaba.
“We imagine within the APC’s imaginative and prescient, however true democracy should replicate the individuals’s will. Something much less threatens our credibility and probabilities on the polls,” Owolabi added.
Please comply with and like us:
