The confusion around the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) primary took a turn for the worse yesterday as the exercise was postponed the fourth time in a week and indefinitely. The bewilderment intensified with the showdown between the state chapter of the party and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) tasked with overseeing the poll.
After thousands of party members had trooped out across the state to cast votes that suggested Mr Jide Sanwo-Olu, the main challenger to incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was leading by a landslide, the NWC dismissed the exercise, announcing a fresh election would be held at a “fresh time and date.”
Sanwo-Olu enjoys the endorsement of the party’s National Leader Bola Tinubu, who is the state’s political godfather and Ambode’s estranged benefactor.
The NWC team, led by a former Cross River State governor, Clement Ebri, had on Monday told the state’s party chieftains that the national body proposed the use of ballot papers and membership slips for persons without cards.
The party leaders, however, rejected the idea, harping that the exercise might not hold yesterday. But at about 11:10 p.m., the same day, Mr. Wale Ahmed, secretary to the state chairman, Mr. Tunde Balogun, issued a statement saying: “I have the authority of the state chairman to inform you all that our gubernatorial primaries election will hold on October 2 (yesterday) at 9:00 a.m., as earlier planned.
All are enjoined to go out and play their roles and pass the information to all members. Please, note that there will be no ballot papers, no ballot boxes and no acceptance of slips. Strictly APC membership ID cards for the election.” Ambode, who appears to have the backing of President Muhammadu Buhari, had earlier expressed concern that he and many of his supporters might be disenfranchised on account of having only the slips.
A presidency source told The Guardian Buhari was watching events with keen interest and has vowed to reject anything that falls short of a credible poll. He added that Tinubu at a meeting with Buhari on Monday was also charged to ensure there were no undue manipulations. While invalidating yesterday’s primary, Ebri said the NWC never authorised the exercise, as modalities were violated. He told reporters that the state executives failed to turn in the list of officials appointed to supervise the election.
The list only got to the panel at about 3:00 p.m., he said, stressing it would have been impossible to go ahead with the process without the list. “There was no way we could have got up at 8:00 a.m., sat down in this place for about eight to nine hours without seeing anybody, and then I would go ahead and do something? It is only fair that when you don’t see one party, you have to wait and be patient. That is what has brought us to this point,” he said.
Source: Guardian Newspaper.
