APC Members Protest in Lagos over Ward Congresses

APC Members

On Wednesday, some members of the All Progressives Congress, APCin Lagos stormed the party’s secretariat, protesting a publication that excluded their wards in the ward congress re-run elections in the state.

The protesters, who came from various wards across the state, were seen chanting songs, displaying placards, demanding justice and fair play from the party.

The re-run's publication, which was carried by some national dailies, was accredited to the Dr Garuba Abari-led APC Congresses Committee for Lagos State. According to the publication, the party has fixed re-run congresses in some wards in the state.

Out of the 377 wards where congresses were held on April 5, the committee declared re-run in 102 wards, slated for April 10.

It will be recalled that disagreements, controversies and protests had trailed the ward congresses, resulting in the committee scheduling the re-run in areas where elections were considered inconclusive.

Protesting their exclusion from the re-run. Mr Great Jonathan, from Ward B, Ikeja Local Government Area, who led the protest, said that his ward was not included for the re-run even when congress did not hold there.

"We sent in our petition just like others and we are shocked to see the publication this morning announcing re-run in some wards and excluding our ward. We will go to any level to protests this marginalization,’’ he said.

Mr Benson Adepoju, from Kosofe Council Ward F, said their protest was for being included for re-run after the committee had issued them return certificate for winning in the congress.

"We held congress in our ward and we received the certificate of re-runs dully signed. What is amazing today is that we saw our ward in the list of wards for re-run and no one is explaining it to us". 

Adepoju, however, advised the party’s leadership to wade into the matter and call the congresses committee to order.

A former Chairman of Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Council, Chief Demola Doherty, also said that out of the seven wards in the area where congresses were not held, only one was slated for a re-run.

"There was no congress in any of the seven wards in the council. Based on our protest over last Saturday, they included just ward Ward C2 for re-run which is unacceptable to us."

Doherty said that the committee should hold fresh congresses in all the wards in Lagos, to avert issues that would befell the party if members remained aggrieved over the outcome of the congresses.

As at the time of filling this report, no one attended to the protesters, who insisted on meeting with the Interim State Chairman of the Party, Chief Henry Ajomale.

Ajomale was not on sit and no member of the congresses committee was available to speak with the protesters.