Lagos Council Polls: APC Chieftain Balogun Writes Tinubu, Others Over Crisis in Alimosho
- Prince Idris Balogun, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Alimosho area of Lagos, has expressed his displeasure over the outcome of the council election
- Balogun, in a letter he wrote to the state leadership of the party, said that some hardworking members of the APC in the area were robbed of their positions
- According to him, there should be an urgent intervention by the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to ensure that the anomalies are corrected
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Alimosho, Lagos - Amid the crisis that rocked the conduct and the outcome of the Saturday, July 24, council elections in Lagos, a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Alimosho federal constituency, Prince Idris Balogun, has petitioned the leadership of the party, calling for urgent intervention into the matter.
Legit.ng's regional reporter, Abiola Oladayo reports that Balogun made this known on Tuesday, July 27, in a letter written to APC Lagos secretariat and the party's national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Balogun said the happenings in the political arena in the Alimosho area of the state call for serious concerns and attention in order to save the party from implosion.
Speaking on the pre and post activities of the party during the council election, Balogun narrated how some group of people in the guise of working for the minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola, took over the affairs of the party, using their closeness with the minister, who according to him had the ears of Tinubu.
The party chieftain, however, claimed the centres have since then failed to hold after the emergence of the group tagged Alimosho G-18 (in charge of nominations of the chairmen, councillors, Assembly members both at the state and federal).
He said:
“After the general elections in 2019 in which Alimosho displayed a total failure of votes cast, contrary to what we were known for, the national leader of our great party publicly tagged Alimosho APC, a failure – the video is everywhere.
"This caused an immense embarrassment to us and many other party members felt it was time to redeem our political image, restore hope to the party members, give them the sense of belonging, compel our elected officials to use the money statutorily meant for the development of our community directly to them, and stop diverting public funds meant for development to service the so-called G-18 leaders."
Balogun further stated that his faction met with some stakeholders of the party in the state to address some of their grievances in the interest of the party.
He added that as part of the resolutions, the party agreed that there should be decentralisation of party leadership, freedom to contest elections, and independence of elected officials.
According to him, the efforts eventually paid off as the party leaders in their magnanimity agreed that the just concluded local government elections should be the launchpad for the settlement and resolve of our agitations.
He noted that it was agreed that the Liberation/Veterans should accept two Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and one local government and that the other faction should take the remaining structures.
Alimosho APC leaders agreed on sharing formular for the elective/non-elective positions
Balogun further stated his group later heard that Tinubu had instructed that all first-term chairmen across the state should be given automatic tickets to run for the terms in office.
He said the new order effectively put aside the earlier agreement, adding that they had to go back to the drawing board for another agreement because one LGA and three LCDAs are beneficiaries of the new verdict.
Balogun stressed:
“It was later agreed that Igando-Ikotun LCDA where the chairman is completing her two term tenure should be given to us while we have 14 councillors, and three vice-chairmen, while we wait to get SLGs and supervisory councillors.
“But to our surprise again, we were shortchanged, as the number of councillors given to us was reduced to 10. Our hopes of having the vice-chairman in Mosan-Okunola and Egbe-Idimu LCDAs were dashed again. We complained to the state-organized reconciliation committee and they promised to look into this abnormality and make the necessary corrections.
"During the meetings with the reconciliation committee, Alhaji Abdullah Enilolobo, the leader of the G-18 group professed that Igando-Ikotun LCDA had been given to us through HE Adejoke Orelope Adefilure.
“The next wonder of the world was that our candidate for that office in Igando-Ikotun LCDA, Hon. Oseni Ahmed olajide, who had his name pasted by LASIEC, went for screening and did all that was necessary got replaced shortly after the local government elections."
Chairmanship candidate for Igando-Ikotun LCDA Oseni's name was replaced ilegally
He noted that it later became a reality that Oseni’s name which was cleared for the July 24, election was removed after winning the election.
Balogun also stated that it was gathered that his name was substituted the night before the election, saying that the turn of the event was highly provocative and insulting.
The party leader added:
“With utmost respect to the party (APC) national hierarchy in our dear country Nigeria, we write to express our displeasure on the political oppression, sidelining and imposition of undeserving candidate in person of Hon. Mutiu Adebiyi, the current vice chairman of Egbe-Idimu LCDA against the party’s agreed candidate for vice-chairman, Hon. Lukman Idowu Ishola under the leadership of our amiable leader, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the senior special adviser to the president on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
“Hon Idowu who had paid his dues politically and socially to be the second citizen of the council in the next administration and the youth have confirmed that Idimu and Isheri constituents have not been represented in the present administration because both the incumbent Chairman, Hon. Kunle Sanyaolu Olowoopejo and his vice, Hon Mutiu Adebiyi are from Egbe, which is just a fraction of the entire LCDA.”
Balogun, therefore, appealed to the leadership of the party to intervene as looking away could be detrimental to the growth and popularity of APC at large.
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Governor Sanwo-Olu makes urgent appeal to Lagosians after casting vote
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Saturday, July 24, urged every eligible voter in the state to go out and exercise their franchise to elect leaders of their choice.
It was reported that Sanwo-Olu made the appeal after casting his vote at PU 019, Femi Okunu/Lateef Jakande ward 09, Ikoyi 2, Eti Osa LGA in the just concluded local government elections in the state.
The governor said security has been provided to ensure people can exercise their democratic rights without any fear in a peaceful manner.
Source: Legit.ng
