SAN FRANCISCO, MAY 26, (THEWILL) – A group known as Egbe Alatunto has alleged that some powerful individuals in the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are plotting to impose their candidates in the local government election.
In a statement on Friday, Niyi Akinsiju, Co-ordinator of the group, said the party had concluded plans to hold a “sham” primary election at the Teslim Balogun stadium in Onikan.
While calling for the cancellation of the election Akinsiju expressed dissatisfaction with the “brazen circumvention of the democratic process” in the announced arrangements for the hosting of the primary election.
“As active members of the party, committed to be part of the processes of the emergence of political managers of our local government area which we verily believe will guarantee good governance and the enjoyment of the dividends of democracy, we demand the cancellation of this obviously arranged primary for chairman aspirants of local government areas billed for the Teslim Balogun stadium, Surulere,” the statement read.
“We contest the reason being peddled for holding the primary in the Teslim Balogun Stadium on the excuse of the need to ensure a peaceful and non-violent exercise as not tenable.
“The only authority that is constitutionally empowered to declare a space unsecured is the Nigerian Police Force. The organisers of this primaries have not told us that they received a report from the police.
“The question then is if councillorship primaries can be held in wards, what made chairmanship primaries so dangerous that it can’t be held within the local government area as required by law?
“A condition precedent to organising primary is the public circulation of the list of delegates, in the present circumstance, less than 48 hours to the so-called primaries, none of the aspirants knows the delegates that would be voting.
“It is apparent that the powers that be in the Lagos APC are merely working to a pre-determined objective of declaring their preferred candidate in each LGA and merely using the excuse of this sham primary to be held in a Stadium as a veil to justify the emasculation of the democratic process as enshrined in the constitutions of the federal republic of Nigeria and of the APC.”
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