Kunle Adelabu
-As state reconciliation urges candidates to work with aspirants, others
Leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikorodu Division has assured the state chapter of the ruling party that it has resolved its post -primary elections challenges and now focuses on garnering a minimum of 250, 000 votes come 2027 General Elections.
The assurance was not just given by the political chieftains, but also screamed on a large backdrop banner hosted behind the seat where Hon. Babatunde Ogala, the Chairman State APC Reconciliation Committee with firm conviction to deliver again for President Tinubu and other APC candidates.
On the panel with Hon. Ogala at the Ikorodu Division APC Secretariat along the Awolowo Way, Ikorodu venue of the reconciliation meeting on Thursday, were Mrs Folashade Bakare, Committee Secretary and State APC Legal Adviser, Pastor Funmi Dawodu,
Hon. Gbolahan Ogunleye, incumbent representative, Ikorodu Constituency I, Lagos State House of Assembly, Prince Oluwatoyin Gafaar, APC candidate for Ikorodu Constituency I seat, Mr Kazeem Olufowora, aspirant, Mr Olakunke Matti, aspirant and Mr Adekunle Bada, aspirant.
The reconciliation committee welcoming chieftains, candidates and aspirants to the parley said that they are given the mandate to listen to grievances if any and look at areas where redress can be made.
He reminded members of the ruling party of the sad experience of 2023 when President Bola Tinubu as a candidate lost Lagos State, his political base, stressing the need to harmonise all differences and go into the 2027 elections as a united party.
While stating that crisis after primary elections is inevitable, Hon. Ogala added that there were 21 cases against Tinubu when he emerged as the party’s Presidential candidate.
While appealing to aggrieved aspirants and members to accept the decision of the party, he also referenced himself as someone that has been deprived of his aspiration by the party when he was not allowed to return to the Lagos Assembly despite his popularity and he was replaced with Hon Ikuforiji from Epe and he had to accept the decision.
He stressed that it was the situation that created time for him to focus on his legal practice where he attained the position of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and later became the National Legal Adviser of the APC among other positions of influence.
Hon. Ogala warned candidates never to boast of winning any primary election because they were picked and the party can still withdraw its mandate and urged them to reconcile with others not favoured and carry party members along.
“Until after the elections, you must drop every toga of arrogance. You must appease not just those who contested against you but also their supporters, and leaders. A divided house will fall, so we must go to the elections as one and the responsibility is yours as candidates to bring everybody together.”
While acknowledging efforts and capability of Ikorodu political leaders to resolve the crisis he added that the reconciliation must be continuous.
Alhaji Rilwan Jinadu, former APC Chairman Ikorodu, while appreciating the state body cautioned against intervention, stating that Ikorodu has its peculiarities and ways of resolving its differences.
“The peculiarities of Ikorodu Division is that no matter the political or whatever differences we usually unite when election comes.
“The elections that we have been having in the past right from the UPN days up till date, even candidates are usually appointed and it happened to me twice that the party picked its preferred candidates against me and nothing happened. What I usually do within 24hours whenever party made its decision against me is to call my people to work for the party. Election is not about the person that the party has chosen but the party which is APC.”
“Just like others before now, the candidate of the party (Bolowotan) is also favoured and the only time a candidate was not picked in Ikorodu Division but elected was the (first) election of Rep. Babajimi Benson. We voted and he defeated his opponents.”
He stressed: “When it comes to Ikorodu matter, the party at the state level has to exercise restraint because we have our ways of resolving matters. There will be no problem as the affected aspirants have accepted the decision.”
Former Secretary to Ikorodu Local Government, Alhaji Lateef Afinni, in his brief remarks informed the state reconciliation team that the party has gone beyond reconciliation but is now mobilising to get more than 250 000 votes.
“In Ikorodu Division, we have resolved the differences and our target is to give the party 250, 000 votes for Ikorodu and we are even going to do more than that.”
Dr (Col.) Titi Onafowokan (Rtd.), Chairman, APC reconciliation committee in Ikorodu Division, also towed the lines of the first chieftains to inform the state committee that all is well in Ikorodu and the division is working towards returning more votes than any part of the state.
“The state coming to resolve the post primary election is well appreciated but as the chairman of the reconciliation committee set up by the party in Ikorodu, I want to state that Ikorodu is an indigenous division and we have our ways of resolving issues.
“We have been able to bring all the parties together and they have all agreed to work for the success of the party in the coming elections.
“We are assuring you that come 2027, we are going to beat every other division in Lagos State in terms of number of number of votes for the party.“
Former Commissioner for Rural Development, Lagos State, Prince Lanre Balogun, also assured the state APC chieftains that there is no more aggrieved aspirant in Ikorodu, he specifically stated that the incumbent has accepted the decision of the party which favoured Bolowotan and will work for the APC’s success in the coming general elections.
“I must specially thank Mr Babatunde Ogala and his team for accepting the assignment to reconcile aggrieved party members, however, in Ikorodu we are peace -loving people and I had spoken with Gbolahan Ogunleye several times on the matter. He was my Personal Assistant when I was the Commissioner and he is still a son to me.
“He is a gentleman who knows what it takes to be a party man, the more so, his father was a former party chairman, and he must have been tutored on what it takes. In APC you don’t lose election, rather, the party usually takes back what it put in your care.”
“I was the chairman of his campaign and we have appealed to him and he has accepted. We have also embraced Mr Bolowotan, the candidate that the party has given us and by the grace of God success is our portion,” he assured the committee
The political leader also reiterated that Ikorodu is already working towards successful outing come 2027.
“We have 694 polling booths in Ikorodu Division and we have challenged ourselves that each booth must return at least 370 votes.
“I want to assure you, Ikorodu Division will deliver and return the highest number of votes. That has been our pattern even in voters’ and party registration, we are first throughout the nation. We also recorded first in terms of votes across the state in the last local government elections. We going to deliver again to our Principal, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all our candidates.”
