APC LG congress: Aspirants allege misconduct in Lagos

Some All Progressives Congress members in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area seeking reelection in the party’s Local Government Congress in Lagos State have alleged diversion of their nomination forms.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the APC on Saturday conducted a nationwide congress to elect executives to oversee operations of the party at the local government area level.

Speaking with newsmen on Saturday, Ayodele Ogungbiye, Chairman of the APC in Amuwo-Odofin, said nine aggrieved executives and him were eligible to be reelected because they had only served one term.

He alleged that the State Caretaker Committee Chairman, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, deprived them of the nomination forms and opportunity to contest despite paying into the bank account of the national body.

He also claimed that Balogun gave nomination forms to the Council Chairman, Valentine Buraimoh, to allegedly share with his loyalists only.

Ogungbiye expressed surprise over the development, saying only those that had served two terms or relocated should not be returned according to the party.

The aggrieved aspirant said he went with the bank tellers of all aspirants to the state secretariat to obtain the nomination forms.

“Despite showing all the bank tellers to the state chairman, we were not given the nomination forms,” he said.

Ogungbiye said he was accused of belonging to a splinter group, Lagos4Lagos Movement, led by one Olajide Adediran, also known as Jandor, that he had never met in his life.

He accused the state caretaker chairman of not doing things in accordance with directives of the national body, saying that the nomination forms were supposed to be given to those who paid for them.

In a swift reaction, Balogun described the allegations as “unsubstantiated,” adding that the allegation were, however, not new to him.

He also reacted to his purported suspension, explaining that it was not true.

Balogun said he had sworn in newly-elected ward chairmen of the party across the state.

Meanwhile, the APC Publicity Secretary in Amuwo Odofin, Ayodeji Oyefeso, and the Assistant Woman Leader for the council, Funmilayo Oladimeji, expressed dissatisfaction over the alleged manipulation.

They called on the national body not to honour the outcome of the local government congress in the area.

Other aggrieved executives seeking reelection were Alhaji Wasiu Oladimeji (Legal Adviser), Tomson Adio (Assistant Publicity Secretary) and Ayodele Okusaga (Youth Leader).

Others were Peter Okoli (Assistant Youth Leader), Ogbechi Francisca (Ex-Officio 2), Femi George (Physically Challenged) and Starling Uguike ( Ex-Officio 3).

NAN reports that 27 executives and three national delegates emerged at the congress.