Kunle Adelabu
-Official Assembly list may be released after Presidential primary
Uneasy calm has pervaded different political camps in Ikorodu Constituency I, three days after the All Progressives Congress (APC) conducted the Lagos State House of Assembly primary election across the state, but has delayed to declare results officially.
After the election which was held on Wednesday across the 11 political wards in the constituency, almost all the four candidates claimed victory for the Ikorodu Constituency I seat especially after the State Returning Officer, Hon. Balqui cancelled the election at the Ikorodu APC secretariat venue of the Ward A4 after the election committee was unable to agree with the candidates on modalities for the election.
Across the 11 political wards, aspirants – Hon. Gbolahan Ogunleye, Prince Oluwatoyin Gafaar Bolowotan, Mr Kareem Alogba, and Mr Kazeem Omotayo, showed strength and mobilized their supporters.
Prince Adekunle Bada and Mr Ayoiyinka Igbe, withdrew from the race on the eve of the primary election.
There was no doubt that the incumbent -Hon. Ogunleye, the three -term aspirant, Hon. Bolowotan and the first timer – Kareem Alogba, are the three major contenders going by their mobilisation, presence of supporters at various wards, and network in terms of powerful backers, which made them strong forces, but the biggest surprise of the three is Kareem Alogba, who is the youngest and relatively new in the game.
Alogba did not just mobilise beyond the expectations of many but also has strong backers within the APC in Ikorodu and outside just like Ogunleye and Bolowotan.
As if they knew what would happen if the four aspirants should go ahead with the primary, the apex leaders of the APC called an emergency meeting with the Returning Officer for the election present at the APC secretariat while the election was supposed to go on to persuade the aspirants to step down but they all stood their ground to go for the election. To underline the importance of the meeting, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, the former Deputy Governor of Lagos State whose son is the incumbent representative and other leaders have to join the meeting.
In four wards within Ikorodu Central – Ward A1, Etunrenren Primary School, Ikorodu, Ward A2, Ita -Elewa Sports Complex, Ward A3 -Jamatul and A4 -APC Secretariat, there were disputed results and claims in at least three. While there was election and counting at Ward A1, which is the base of the incumbent representative won, there are disputed figures in other wards. There was no election at Ward A4 and Ward A2, but aspirants claimed victory including at Ward A3.
At the sole ward in Ikorodu West LCDA, Ward A5, with the APC secretariat within the council as the venue of the primary election, it was also controversial as Bolowotan and Ogulnleye’s camps claimed victory even though THE IMPACT gathered that there was also no election.
It was the same thing across the four wards in Ikorodu North LCDA, where there was no election except in two wards, both Ogunleye and Bolowotan claimed victories. Both aspirants, it was gathered showed strong presence with Alogba trailing .
But while all the camps are claiming victories, there has been lull in political activities across the camps as they are all waiting for the official results from the national and state APC leadership and from all indications, whomever that will emerge as the APC candidate for the Ikorodu Constituency I in the 2027 General Elections will have to be determined by superior power.
Rather than continuing with campaign noise and propaganda that dominated the social media space and Ikorodu community at large, aspirants are now engaged in strategic politicking to ensure that the name on the list is maintained while others are focusing on changing it.
THE IMPACT gathered that one of the aspirants has already been picked with the Ikorodu primary election spreadsheet signed by the returning officer, INEC representative and all the security agencies that witnessed the primary election, affirming the candidate is the APC choice in Ikorodu.
It was also gathered that another aspirant is working tirelessly to change the anointed candidate to his, a situation that has been an uphill task as the powers that are behind the anointed candidate are not ready to bend at all.
But the situation is not without its effects. The uncertainties and fear of loss in various camps caused the apathy and low turnout of APC members for the Governorship primary election on Thursday, as supporters of the aspirants decided to stay away from various centres and there was no mobilisation at all.
Some of the members of the party that spoke with our reporter confirmed that they are not voting since the results of the Assembly election has not been released. It was also gathered that some aggrieved leaders asked their followers to boycott the election.
Some party leaders who were actively involved in mobilising for some aspirants before the primary have also resigned to faith as they told our reporter that they are waiting for the release of the results from the state.
Meanwhile, THE IMPACT also gathered that the party is holding on to the official release of the Assembly’s primary election results to prevent an untoward situation that may affect the Governorship and the Presidential primaries.
The party is expecting the Assembly aspirants who are grassroots politicians with strength to mobilise their supporters for Presidential primary election.
It was also gathered that the official list of the APC Assembly candidates for the 2027 General Election will be released after the APC Presidential primary election.
