Kunle ADELABU
Fallouts Of APC Primary Elections: Aggrieved Members Resolve To Work For Party’s Victory In 2019 General Elections
-Reconciliation committee commends party leaders in Ikorodu, Lagos East Senatorial District
-Party Leaders close ranks
The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) moved a step closer to achieving a total victory in the 2019 General Elections as its reconciliation efforts yielded a positive result in Ikorodu.
At the Reconciliation/Peace Meeting held at the Ikorodu Town hall on Wednesday, December 19, all the aspirants in the last primary elections of the party as well as council chairmen and members resolved to put aside their individuals and group’s interest and work for the victory of all the candidates of the party in the coming elections.
Sen. Tony Adefuye, a chieftain of the party in the Lagos East Senatorial District and a member of the Governor Advisory Council (GAC), while speaking at the meeting, admonished party members to jettison individual interests and work for the total victory of the party in the coming General elections.
He warned aggrieved and other members of the party to be wary of the influx of people into Ikorodu, particularly the non-indigenes whom he accused of having penchant for voting for the opposition party.
In order to achieve an effective reconciliation, representatives from the six Local Government and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Ikorodu division as well as local government chairmen and other strategic groups within the party were allowed to present their grievances at the well-attended meeting.
Hon. Adeola Banjo, Chairman, Ikorodu North LCDA, Hon. Benson, Vice Chairman, Imota LCDA, Princess Adunni Oyefusi, former Executive Secretary, Ikorodu West LCDA and a House of Assembly aspirant and the representative of Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA stated that the party is in good stead in their respective domains and assured the party leaders and the congregation of victory for APC in all the elections in 2019.
Mr Isiaka Abagun, the Director-General, Yinka Majekodunmi Campaign Organization, called for an all-embracing reconciliation for all the party’s aspirants in the last primary elections.
He also enjoined the party leaders to ensure that all council chairmen in the division partake fully in the reconciliation process.
Mr Abagun added that the major grievance of many aspirants and their supporters was their neglect by the party despite having invested their resources and mobilized support for the party.
“Desperation of some aspirants and their supporters are mainly due to their past experience whereby they were neglected in whatever benefits that accrued to the party after the election. These are people that invested their time and resources and also mobilized people into the party.
“But unfortunately, when it is time to distribute the benefits, our leaders usually forget them and give such benefit to those that are not deserving of them. We need to address the situation where most political appointments are not going to the party people”, Abagun stated.
Lagos East Senatorial Women Leader and a chieftain of the party in Ikorodu, Comrade Kehinde Okeowo, in their separate submissions, called for unity among members to ensure victory and more recognition for women in terms of political patronages.
Chairman, Ikorodu Local Government, Hon. Wasiu Adeshina, in his contribution, stated that the councils across the division are supporting all the APC candidates in the general elections and assured that the will win convincingly in Ikorodu division.
A major contender for the Ikorodu Constituency I seat at the Lagos State House of Assembly in the party’s primary election and the Director of Sports, Sanwoolu Campaign Organization, Mr Toyin Gafaar Bolowotan, who spoke on behalf of other aspirants, also assured the party leaders of their support for all the APC candidates in the forthcoming general elections.
While stating that no aspirant is aggrieved, he assured the party of their full supports.
Mr Segun Anifowoshe, a House of Representatives aspirant of the party in 2015, also corroborated the issue concerning the party’s failure to compensate aspirants in the past and held the view that this caused the violent reactions that trailed the party’s last primary primaries in Ikorodu and called for an urgent address of the issue.
He also enjoined the party leadership to sanction any party leader found hobnobbing with the opposition parties because “such act is gross indiscipline which the party must not condone”.
Mr Segun Iluyombo, an aspirant of the party for the Ikorodu Constituency I seat in 2015, while lamenting that the party denied him several opportunities in the past to contest, called for more political appointments for Ikorodu and adequate compensation for the aspirants.
While speaking on behalf of all the party’s candidates in the Lagos East Senatorial District in the coming general elections,, Hon. Bayo Osinowo, the Lagos East Senatorial candidate, called for harmony, peace, and understanding among party members.
Osinowo, whose speech was laden with parables, songs and personal life experiences which were used to buttress his points, appealed to party members to respect and honour party leaders for their contributions to the party and for their achievements which he said are too numerous to surpassed.
He also enjoined all the aspirants to see what they perceived as failures in the last primary elections as God’s act and as an opportunity that would propel them to greater heights.
The revered and well-loved lawmaker and party chieftain also stated that Ikorodu Division, which he described as the heart of the Lagos East Senatorial District, is important to the victory of APC in and the sustenance of the state because of its strategic location.
“Why do you think Ikorodu is in the middle of the Lagos East Senatorial District? This is a division that is strategically position and it is important for our party and the state. It’s strategic location also made it an important town for the Ijebus.
Him. Osinowo also commended the party leaders in Lagos East Senatorial District for their cooperation and leadership direction.
He assured that after victory for the party in the coming elections, groupings would have no place again within the party while empowerment of the party members would be the focus of all the party candidates.
“There will be no room any longer for all these groupings after we emerged victorious in the forthcoming elections. Our focus shall be on how to empower all party members”, Hon. Osinowo assured.
Hon. Abdul-Lateef Abdul-Hakeem, the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Chairman, State Reconciliation/Peace Committee, while speaking at the meeting, commended the party leaders and entire members of the party in the Lagos East Senatorial District for setting good examples.
He enjoined other districts to learn from the exemplary actions of the party leaders in Lagos East in effectively achieving reconciliation and closing ranks for victory of the party in the forthcoming general elections.
Dr Abdul- Lateef also commended all the aspirants for spending their resources in mobilizing support and developing the party.
While appealing to Ikorodu residents to vote for APC, he warned against allowing the opposition party to win.
“If Ikorodu failed to support her Assembly candidate and allow the candidate of the opposition party to emerge, the implication is that nothing is going to be heard about the constituency in the next four years” , he warned.
The Reconciliation Chairman also enjoined party members supporting different aspirants to also accept the reconciliation move of the party in good faith.
“If the aspirants who invested heavily in the electioneering can accept the reconciliation move wholeheartedly, then their respective supporters too must be ready to sheathe their swords by also accepting and working for the party to emerge victorious in the general elections.
While also warning party members against falsely alleging other members of anti-party activities in order to fully achieve effective reconciliation within the party, Hon. Abdul-Lateef enjoined the APC leaders in the Lagos West Senatorial District to emulate their counterparts in the Lagos East Senatorial District.
“I have told the leaders of the party in Lagos West Senatorial District to emulate Lagos East on how to achieve desired reconciliation in the interest of the party.”
Other APC Chieftains at the meeting were former Deputy Governor, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, former Secretary to the State Government, Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun, Chief Bushra Alebiosu, Asipa Kaoli Olusanya, Hon. Babajimi Benson, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, Hon. Rotimi Abiru, Chief Dele Olowu, and Alhaji Monzor Olowosago among others.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the APC in Ikorodu Division has also agreed to close ranks in the interest of the party.
THE IMPACT gathered that the Apex leaders of the party met on Saturday, December 22, 2018, at the home of the former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, where another round of reconciliation move took place.
It was gathered that after the fruitful meeting, attendees, which included major leaders and stakeholders of the party, were served meals and drinks to cement the reconciliation.
