By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries scheduled to hold at the State Secretariat, Acme Road, Ikeja, today, May 10, 2025, all arrangements have been concluded to ensure a successful exercise.

The exercise is expected to produce all APC chairmanship and councillorship candidates for the July 12 council polls.

Recall that the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) had slated July 12 for the conduct of chairmanship and councilor positions into the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

There are a total of 377 councilors in Lagos State, distributed across the state’s 57 LGAs and LCDAs. Each of the 377 wards within the state has a councilor representing it, according to LASIEC.

The APC electoral committee last week cleared 432 chairmanship aspirants out of the 470 who submitted nomination forms for the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs. The councillorship polls will be conducted across the wards of the 57 councils on the same day.

Additionally, APC has indicated that its list of candidates for the chairmanship and councillorship polls will emerge through consensus between party leaders, aspirants, and members across the 57 LGAs and LCDAs in the state.

The party stated that adopting consensus lists for both the councillor and chairman seats would ensure a rancor-free primary exercise and sustain the existing unity among members of Lagos APC.

It stressed that uniting on a list of candidates would allow the party to win all elective seats during the elections in the state, noting, “We have 57 councils, but the number of aspirants is over 400, and all of them can’t seat in office.”

However, the chairman of the Electoral Committee, Babatunde Ogala, SAN, at a recent stakeholders’ forum, said the committee has assembled a formidable team to ensure a hitch-free exercise.

While outlining the guidelines for the election, Ogala said indirect primaries would be adopted.

According to him, “The constitution recognizes direct, indirect, and consensus primaries, but for this council primary, we are adopting indirect primaries. The electoral body, which are the delegates, have been constituted.”

“For chairmanship, the designated venue is the party Secretariat in Ogba, where all aspirants will converge. The aspirants are expected to come with only one agent.”

Ogala revealed that 38 chairmanship aspirants had been disqualified or voluntarily withdrew from the race ahead of the July 12 council polls.

Additionally, APC’s Lagos State chapter chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), Tajudeen Olusi, Deputy Governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, and other leaders at a forum appealed to aspirants and their supporters to embrace peace in order to sustain current unity and ensure a seamless exercise in the party’s interest.

Others in attendance included the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mudasiru Obasa; the Senator representing Lagos West District, Dr. Oluranti Adebule; former Deputy Governor Olufemi Pedro, among others.

Insisting on rancor-free primaries, the leaders noted that the party leadership is seeking consensus in selecting the 57 council chairmanship candidates, which will be conducted through indirect polls at the party’s Secretariat.

In his address, Olusi urged aspirants to cooperate with the party leadership, saying, “We are here to advise you. Since the early days of democracy, primaries have always been through consensus. With patience and support, there will be a way out. That is why wisdom is applied in politics.”
All is set
Meanwhile, Publicity Secretary of APC Lagos chapter, Seye Oladejo, told Saturday Vanguard on Friday that the exercise would be held under tight security to prevent any possible breakdown of law and order.

When Vanguard visited the APC Secretariat in Acme, Ogba, on Friday, men of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and Mobile Police of the Lagos State Police Command were seen at strategic positions preparing for Saturday’s exercise.

Additionally, the arena for the exercise and election materials has been organized in readiness for the polls.