Some aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ward D of Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, on Saturday staged a protest at the venue of the on going congress of the party over alleged manipulation of the process.
The venue for the ward congress is Local Government Primary School, Idimu.
Addressing journalists, the leader of the aggrieved members and Alimosho Liberation Movement (ALM), Alhaji Idris Balogun, said the presiding officers who were to conduct the congress absconded from the venue before 9am, saying that they were hoarded by a faction of the party in the local government.
While displaying contestants forms purchased by the group before newsmen, the APC Chieftain alleged the electoral committee of bias, stating that it was around 2am before they could access the forms from the Committee.
” We will want Asiwaju Tinubu, Alhaji Tunde Balogun and other leaders to warn and tell these people that this is not the way to run party affairs. Our people are on ground to vote for their choice candidates but these elements came as early as 7am and went away with the materials.
” The way Enilolobo is running the party is wrong. We want justice because we are registered members of the APC in Alimosho federal Constituency. We want the party leaders to take note of this injustice and manipulation by the Yayi group”, said Balogun.
Also, a Ward Chairmanship aspirant, Lukmon Idowu, stated that it was shock to him not meeting any of the electoral officers, calling on the national and state leadership to caution Enilolobo and Yayi.
Idowu said the party belongs to all members regardless of their status and that nobody should see the party as his or her personal property.
The Woman Leader, Alimosho Liberation Movement, Arike Yusuf, called on the leaders to come to their aid and safe them from the stronghold of the party’s organising secretary and Senator Solomon.
She said the other faction did not allow them to cast their votes, and that there is no way the leadership of the ward can be formed without the total endorsement of the concensus arrangement by all groups in the party at the ward level.
Also, it was gathered that in Ojokoro LCDA of Ifako/Ijaiye local government, members of the party were not mobilised to the venue to participate in the congress.
It was gathered further that leaders could not reach agreement on the consensus list.
It would be recalled that there had been confusion over the modality to use for the ward Congress as some members and groups were bent on voting while the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) after their meeting few days ago recommended a ‘Consensus Arrangement’.
