Some chairmanship aspirants in the forthcoming Lagos State Local Government Election have advised the All Progressive Congress (APC) not to subvert democratic processes in its primaries.
The aspirants from Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos made this known in a statement on Monday in Lagos.
Speaking on behalf of 12 aspirants, Messrs Segun Sekoni and Mustapha Rasheed, said that good leaders would never emerge through imposition of candidates.
The forum said that democracy thrived well and delivered its dividends when the process of selecting leaders is credible, transparent and acceptable to all participants.
According to the group, the APC state hierarchy should not give in to false claims of a consensus endorsement of a particular as the LCDA’s chairmanship candidate.
The group said that such an idea, being sold and accepted by the party hierarchy in the state, remained a deception, misleading and untrue.
“This claim suggests that a consensus has been reached within the All Progressives Congress (APC) to adopt (a candidate) as the party’s sole chairmanship candidate in Ojokoro LCDA.
“We wish to categorically state that this claim is false, deceptive, and aimed at misleading the public.
“We call on the Lagos State leadership of the APC and all relevant authorities to ensure that Ojokoro LCDA conducts a transparent, fair, and credible primary election.
“No individual or clique has the right to impose candidates against the will of the people. Let it be known: Ojokoro is not for sale. The people must decide,” the aspirants said.
According to them, the list being shared is merely an attendance list from a meeting with the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
“There was no agreement, no vote, and no consensus decision reached at that meeting. This act of misinformation is a desperate attempt to gain undue advantage and subvert the democratic process,” the group added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that aspirants in the forthcoming council poll have raised concerned over imposition and indirect primaries being adopted the party for candidates’ selection.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)