Imposition: Lagos APC Disowns Protesting Group

Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has disowned a group which protested purported imposition of a candidate as the party’s flag bearer for the 2015 governorship election in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

Hundreds of purported APC members stormed the Lagos Governor’s office on Monday in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria protesting alleged plan by the party’s leadership to impose a candidate on the party in next year’s poll.

The group, under the aegis of New Lagos Movement, a pressure group within the APC, vowed to resurrect voice of the silent majority in the party, if the leadership of the party continued with the tradition of imposing candidates on the party.

Reacting to the protest, APC Chairman, Lagos State, Chief Henry Ajomale disowned the protesters, saying they were not members of the party as the party would not impose any candidate on anybody.

“I don’t know them. No, they are not members of the party and if they said that they are New Lagos Movement, they are on their own. Please ask them if they are registered members of the party. According to the party constitution, we don’t allow any group within the party.

“If anyone has any grievances against the party, our secretariat is open daily. They can make their complain known. No party member will go to the public and protest against what the party is yet to decide.

“The party is yet to ask anyone to indicate their intention. At the moment, more than 10 people are going around but none of them has come to me that they want to contest election. Everyone should wait until the National leadership of the party decides. There cannot be any imposition because we follow the directive of the party’s leadership. If anyone endorses any candidate, it doesn’t mean that the candidate will win at the primaries,” he said.

Ajomale said he was surprised that that some people were protesting over who should be the gubernatorial candidate of the party as such arrangement had not been made, saying that like any other state, the party adhered to the guide lines issued by the party’s national secretariat.

“I am not aware there is such directive from the national secretariat of the party on how the gubernatorial candidate of the party should emerge in the state. Maybe they heard rumours which do not represent the position of the party. We have our own machinery in selecting the candidate of the party.

“Individual opinion doesn’t have impact on the decision of the party. When the time comes, we will decide democratically who will be the party’s candidate in the next election. We cannot afford to do anything less. We must be very careful in who carries the flag of the party.

“Individual interest is not accepted but overall interest of the party is considered paramount in the selection of the party flag bearers. Let everyone continue to campaign and solicit for support. But when the time comes, the party will take its own decision,” he stated.

On internal democracy and zoning, the Lagos APC Chairman said there had never been any position of the party on zoning. “We don’t usually zone positions. We look for the best to represent the party in the election.”

According to him, “as a human being, the first governor is from the West Senatorial District, the second came from the Central Senatorial District and as human beings, we all believe that the third senatorial district, East, should produce the next governor. If we cannot get the right candidate from that area, we will look at other districts in the state for the candidate. We cannot take chances on our candidates.”