By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lagos chapter, Seye Oladejo, has dismissed concerns over alleged crisis in the party following recent results of the Local Government primaries, asserting that the party will resolve any issues amicably.

Responding to allegations of impositions by aggrieved parties, Oladejo stated: “There is no regret about the outcome of the primaries. The party has adhered strictly to its constitution, which allows for consensus, direct, or indirect primaries.”

He explained, “In reality, only four local governments—Ijede, Iba, Otto-Awori, and Lekki—had consensus for the chairmanship. For all other local governments, we held direct primaries, with a few exceptions like Yaba and Mainland, which had indirect primaries. The process was transparent, with delegates, who were also party executives at various government levels, constituting the electoral college and casting their votes.”

Oladejo acknowledged that it was normal for some aspirants to be dissatisfied, adding that the setting up of an appeal committee was part of the process to address concerns. “I do not want to preempt the appeal committee’s findings, but we have competent individuals, led by the Attorney General of the State and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, overseeing the panel to resolve any protests,” he said.

“There is nothing to worry about. APC has a way of putting its house in order before the general elections,” Oladejo concluded.

Regarding allegations of imposition by President Bola Tinubu, Oladejo firmly stated, “There is absolutely nothing to suggest that Mr. President has any involvement. He is too busy with national matters to intervene in local government elections in the state. To claim that President Tinubu is involved in any way is totally incorrect.”

Oladejo emphasized that local politics remains at the heart of the process. “In local governments, individual LGAs decide on their candidates for the APC. The state party, led by Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, does not choose candidates for the various local government chairmanship and councillorship elections. When consensus is not reached, representatives of the executives cast their votes, and these are the results that were made public.”

On the alleged involvement of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), Oladejo stated, “I find it difficult to point out any role played by GAC in influencing the results. It’s not unusual for aggrieved members to call on the President for intervention, as he remains the father of all.”

Regarding the alleged imposition of a GAC member’s son, Oladejo said, “That is not within my knowledge. If the son of any GAC member is contesting, it’s part of Lagos politics. There’s no law stopping children of political leaders from participating in the democratic process. It’s not an anomaly, and this happens globally.”

Oladejo reiterated the party’s commitment to internal democracy, stating, “Every democratic process has its imperfections. I am confident that the appeal panel, made up of experienced leaders in Lagos politics, will address the concerns raised. We expect the same resolution as we had after screening, where complaints were heard, and anomalies were corrected.”

He concluded by assuring party members, “We will go into the July 12 elections as a united force, promoting fairness and justice for all members.”