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By Lukman Olabiyi
Allegations of irregularities, confusion, and simultaneous claims of victory that followed the party’s House of Representatives primary elections on Saturday have caused a crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) chapter in Lagos.
In Lagos Mainland Federal Constituency, some aspirants rejected the outcome of the exercise, insisting that no valid election took place in several wards across the constituency.
The aggrieved aspirants, who include Prince Abdulhakeem Animashahun, Lanre Oshun and Dr Tokunbo Oluwole, described the primary as chaotic, alleging widespread irregularities, disruption and intimidation by political actors and their supporters.
The aspirants, who have reportedly submitted a formal petition to the APC Lagos State Secretariat in ACME, Ogba, called on the party leadership to nullify the exercise and investigate the conduct of electoral officials involved in the process.
According to them, elections did not hold in at least eight wards within the constituency due to confusion and a breakdown of order during the exercise.
They questioned how results could have been declared and submitted by the returning officer despite the alleged failure of voting in many polling areas.
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“One wonders how results could emerge from wards where voting never took place. There was confusion and chaos across the constituency, yet figures were allegedly compiled and submitted as authentic results,” one of the aspirants said.
The petitioners maintained that the exercise fell short of the democratic standards expected of a ruling party, alleging that genuine party members were denied the opportunity to freely choose their preferred candidate.
They urged the Lagos APC leadership to immediately cancel the submitted results and constitute an independent panel to investigate complaints arising from the primary election.
Similarly, confusion also trailed the APC primary election in Kosofe Federal Constituency, where two aspirants laid claim to victory.
The incumbent lawmaker representing the constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, claimed she emerged as the winner of the poll, while former Chairman of Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Dele Oshinowo, also declared himself the winner.
The controversies surrounding the primaries have heightened tension within the Lagos APC, amid growing allegations of voter suppression, manipulation and irregularities in some federal constituencies across the state.
At the time of reporting, the Lagos State chapter of the APC had yet to officially respond to the allegations raised by the aggrieved aspirants.
