APC Reps Primaries: Petitions flood Appeal Committee
… the petitioners besieged the APC party secretariat as early as 12 noon on Sunday to seek redress
- By Kunle Awosiyan, Saheed Afolabi, Emmanuel Daniji
Not less than 100 petitions are awaiting the attention of the Appeals Committee set up by the All Progressives Congress to review allegations of irregularities and declaration of false results in the May 16 House of Reps primaries in Lagos State.
Echonews learnt that members of the Appeal Committee flew into Lagos from various parts of the country yesterday and will start sitting today.
Top among the complaints in the petitions are that accreditiatation of voters did not take place, violence and inflation of vote figures.
Yesterday, President Bola Tinubu issued a statement urging the national chairman to do the needful whereever irregularities were used to frustrate the expression of the people’s mandate.
Recall that the APC House of Representatives primaries held across Lagos State on Saturday were marred by allegations of irregularities,
result manipulation, voter intimidation, and violence in several constituencies.
Reports from multiple venues monitored by Echonews indicated that the exercise was characterised by flawed accreditation processes, disputed vote counts, disruptions, and claims of political interference by party leaders.
At Ejigbo Primary School, venue of the Oshodi-Isolo Constituency II primary, the process was fraught with controversy as electoral officers allegedly failed to carry out proper accreditation.
Party members who arrived as early as 9 a.m. reportedly met no electoral officials at the venue. Officials eventually arrived around 2 p.m., accompanied by the Chairman of Ejigbo LCDA, Hon. Taoheed Taiwo.
According to party agents, Taiwo informed members that all aspirants had allegedly been directed to step down for former LCDA Chairman, Monsuru Obe, and advised supporters to queue behind him.
Agents also alleged that supporters wearing campaign-branded materials were not asked to remove them, contrary to standard electoral procedures.
Supporters of other aspirants, including that of Kehinde Bamigbetan, Ganiyu Johnson, and Akintunde, reportedly resisted the directive and insisted on a proper count.
Tension escalated when the electoral officer allegedly conducted the counting silently without the use of a microphone, making it difficult for observers to verify figures.
Although five aspirants contested, party agents claimed inconsistencies emerged during collation.
According to Bamigbetan’s agent, Mr. Wale Fashola, Bamigbetan scored 816 votes while Obe polled 800, but the final sheet allegedly recorded 1,600 votes for Obe.
Fashola further alleged that Obe’s agent, Mr. Wasiu Onibudo, had signed the result sheet before figures were entered.
“I demanded to know why Monsuru Obe’s count was not immediately recorded after counting, unlike Bamigbetan’s, but no satisfactory explanation was given,” he said.
When our correspondent approached Obe’s agent, Onibudo, for his comment on the conduct of the poll, he threatened to break the reporter’s camera.
Similar allegations surfaced in Isolo, where party members accused local officials of attempting to impose Obe as a consensus candidate despite voting being underway.
In Lagos Mainland, reports of voter intimidation and disruption emerged from centres in Apapa Road, Makoko, Iwaya, and Adekunle.
Supporters of one aspirant, Kazeem Omolaja, were accused by rivals of disrupting the process and allegedly preventing delegates believed to support Abdulhakeem Animashaun from participating.
Animashaun’s supporters also alleged that loyalists of the local government chairman, identified as Emilagba, compromised the credibility of the exercise.
Several aggrieved members rejected the outcome.
“We reject whatever outcome emerges from today’s election because the process was flawed and manipulated,” one protesting supporter said.
Violence also erupted in Alimosho and Mushin during the primaries. At Onilewura Street, Liasu Road, Egbe, suspected hoodlums reportedly stormed the Alimosho venue, firing sporadically and causing panic among party members.
The chaos disrupted voting and forced participants to flee. Several persons reportedly sustained injuries, while some attendees were allegedly robbed of mobile phones and valuables.
Confirming the incident, Lagos State Police Command Deputy Public Relations Officer, ASP Femi Adeoye, said 10 suspects were arrested and a locally made firearm recovered.
“The hoodlums responsible for the disturbance have been arrested and taken to Ikotun Divisional Police Station. A gun was also recovered from them,” he said.
In Mushin, violence broke out before voting commenced for Mushin Constituency II, triggering a stampede. Leading aspirants in the contest included APC spokesman Seye Oladejo and incumbent lawmaker Hon. Oluwatoyin Fayinka.
In Badagry, party members raised concerns over conflicting result sheets.
One result circulating online showed incumbent lawmaker Hon. Sesi Oluwaseun Whingan polling 3,889 votes against Hon. Olusegun Adeniran Onilude’s 3,339.
However, critics noted that the figures covered only six of the constituency’s 11 wards.
Another result sheet presented at the Badagry Local Government Secretariat reportedly declared Onilude winner with 18,887 votes against Whingan’s 7,489.
Party member Senu Ayodeji Martins questioned discrepancies in figures announced at his polling centre.
“We all knew Onilude scored 989. How did the additional ‘1’ appear to make it 1,989?” he queried.
He claimed video evidence exists showing the original figures announced by officials.
In Apapa-Iganmu LCDA, controversy followed the endorsement of incumbent lawmakers Hon. Adedayo Samuel and Hon. Musibau Aina Lawal for second terms.
While LCDA Chairman Hon. Jimoh Olawale Saliu described the endorsement as the outcome of broad stakeholder consultations, some party members rejected the move.
Meanwhile, in Apapa Federal Constituency, party member Daniel Igwiro appealed to GAC member Alhaji Mutiu Are over allegations that the victory of Hon. Mufutau Egberongbe was substituted after collation.
In Kosofe, Dele Oshinowo reportedly secured 18,614 votes to defeat incumbent Kafilat Ogbara, who polled 5,150, although conflicting results continued to circulate online.
In Agege Constituency I, Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Hon. Mudashiru Obasa returned unopposed, while Hon. James Abiodun Faleke also emerged unopposed in Ikeja.
For Lagos Island Constituency II, Hon. Sola Giwa stepped down for Hon. Kayode Moshood Akiolu as consensus candidate.
Several aggrieved aspirants have threatened to challenge the outcome of the primaries before the party’s appeal committee, citing alleged imposition, manipulation, and procedural breaches.
The APC leadership is yet to issue an official statewide response to the allegations as of press time.
