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….Orders Suspension Of Planned Protest By Iyaloja-General
…Lagos APC Will Follow Nat’l Leadership’s Directives — Ojelabi
President Bola Tinubu has intervened in the crisis trailing the primaries conducted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the country, with a promise to address grievances arising from the exercise, particularly in his home base of Lagos State.
A presidency source, who spoke with Daily Independent on Sunday, said the process has started and the president and the national leadership of the party will take a critical look at the situation when he resumes in Abuja after the Eid al-Adha holiday.
The source also disclosed that President Tinubu has directed his daughter, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, to suspend the planned protest over the outcome of the primaries in Lagos pending a review of the complaints raised by aggrieved aspirants and stakeholders.
Tinubu-Ojo, during a meeting of market leaders and stakeholders at her office in Alausa, last week, had threatened a protest over what she described as irregularities in the conduct of the primaries.
She specifically faulted the conduct of the House of Representatives primary elections in Mushin Federal Constituency, Agege Constituency II and Ojokoro, alleging that the mandates of some aspirants were allegedly stolen and handed to non-winners.
The Iyaloja-General cited the case of Hon. Seye Oladejo in Mushin Federal Constituency, the immediate past Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos, describing the outcome as a miscarriage of justice and insisting that reports across Mushin indicated that Oladejo won convincingly.
She also cited the case of Mutiu Olaide Oladeebo in Agege II, maintaining that the aspirants emerged victorious in their respective primaries before the outcomes were allegedly altered.
Speaking on the development, the presidency source said the president was displeased with reports suggesting that those entrusted with the management of the party’s affairs in Lagos may have acted contrary to the wishes of party members.
“I believe the Iyaloja was right and her points are valid. Mr. President himself indicated that he is largely unhappy about the manipulation that trailed the results of the primaries particularly in Lagos,” the source said.
“He has directed his daughter, the Iyaloja, to suspend any form of protest while the issues raised are being looked into. That is why the national leadership of the party issued a statement clarifying that results emerging from its primary elections conducted across states of the federation were not yet final and that formal declaration of winners would only be made after the conclusion of its internal appeal processes.”
The source added that all complaints arising from the exercise would be reviewed upon the president’s return to Abuja.
“All these issues will be addressed by the president and the national leadership of the party when he gets back to Abuja after the Sallah break,” he said.
Reacting to meetings held between some declared candidates and President Tinubu during the Sallah holiday in Lagos, the source insisted that such engagements should not be interpreted as confirmation of their candidacies.
“All those meetings have been planned ahead as part of the itinerary of the president even before the primaries were held. So, meeting of the announced candidates with the president does not make them automatic winners.
“The national leadership will look into the appeal and take a final decision. It is not only in Lagos State. It is across the country. That is why the only ticket confirmed so far is that of Mr. President alone”, he added.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the APC on Lagos Island, Alhaji Saliu Agbabiaka, blamed the controversy surrounding the primaries on what he described as the desperation of members of the Justice Forum caucus.
According to him, attempts by the caucus to dominate the allocation of elective positions in the state have heightened tension within the party.
Agbabiaka said he aligned with the Iyaloja’s position that caucuses in the party be disbanded and all members treated as one.
“The desperation of the Justice Forum caucus to snatch all slots is particularly worrisome and evident of a suspicion to upstage the leadership and control of the president in Lagos.”
“It was not surprising that the national issued a statement that they have the final say,” Agbabiaka stated.
He further alleged that the conduct of some returning officers raised serious concerns about the credibility of the process.
“Among others, scenarios of the returning officers disappearing only to turn up later with already written results were particularly appalling. These results were not in tandem with realities during the pre-primaries activities in various constituencies.
“The question to ask is if the perpetrators are actually serving the best interest of the party to ensure its victory,” he said.
Speaking with our correspondent, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi, the state chairman of the APC in Lagos, said he will abide by any decision taken by the national leadership of the party.
“We are not alone. If our national body decides to take any decision, we are duty bound by it. The primaries have taken place, a publication has been made and we are not expecting anything different”, he said.
