Chairmanship candidates for four local council areas have emerged in the ongoing All Progressives Congress (APC) local government primaries in Lagos State.
The candidates who emerged through consensus were Isa Jubril for Iba LCDA, Motunrayo Gbadebo for Ijede LCDA, Rasaq Kasali for Lekki LCDA, and Azeez Kareem for Otto Awori LCDA.
Delegates from each of the respective council areas affirmed the consensus candidates during the ongoing primaries. At the time of filing this report, voting for other council areas was still ongoing at the Ikeja party secretariat.
While addressing delegates before voting commenced, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, called for peace and orderliness throughout the process.
He emphasised that the entire country was watching the primaries and urged the delegates to maintain a peaceful atmosphere.
“We take this exercise very seriously. Our president, who is our leader and father, is monitoring us from Abuja. This is his state, and you know he takes the people at the grassroots very seriously. That is why all of us must be patient,” Hamzat said.
He further cautioned against any potential disruptions, saying, “In Lagos, it is APC that is still existing; the umbrella (of the PDP) is torn, so we should not play into the hands of outsiders (the opposition).”
The Chairman of the Lagos APC Electoral Committee, Babatunde Ogala, outlined the voting procedures, stating that delegates from local governments with consensus candidates would first affirm their candidates. This would be followed by voting for council areas with multiple aspirants.
Ogala also confirmed that accreditation had been conducted smoothly, and some local governments had already resolved their candidates internally.
“Some local governments seem to have done their process at home; we will take them first so that they affirm and depart,” Ogala said shortly before the announcement of the four consensus candidates.
He also reminded aspirants that they were free to withdraw their candidacies if they wished, and urged delegates to vacate the venue after voting to avoid overcrowding.