APC reps aspirant, Adewale alleges fraud in conduct of Amuwo Odofin primary

Comrade Ayodele Adewale, a former All Progressives Congress (APC) organising secretary and an aspirant to the Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency seat in Lagos, has petitioned the party’s appeal committee, alleging fraud in the conduct of the primaries election that produced Prince Lanre Sanusi as the party’s candidate.

Adewale, in the petition dated 29 May 2022 and seen by this newspaper, alleged that the state party chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, in connivance with some leaders of the party in Oriade LCDA and Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, manipulated the local government’s delegates list and the entire process leading to the primary election in favour of Prince Sanusi.

Adewale, the immediate past chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government, also insisted in the petition that Prince Sanusi was not qualified to run for the position of House of Representatives because he was disqualified by the Lagos House of Assembly in 2019 for presenting fake United States academic documents at the screening stage for the state executive cabinet when his name was put forward as a commissioner nominee.

He therefore requested that the appeal committee calls for the report of the Lagos House of Assembly screening committee that screened and disqualified Prince Sanusi for presentation of fake academic result.

Read the full petition below:

I am Comrade Ayodele Adewale an aspirant at the just concluded House of Representative Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency primary election that took place on Friday 27 May 2022 in Lagos State.

I was also the APC Organising Secretary from 2021 to April 2022 . A position I resigned from due to my House of Representatives aspiration in accordance to the APC Constitution.

I am the immediate past executive chairman, Amuwo Odofin Local Government.

I was a frontline student union activist and became President, Lagos State University Students Union Government as a 200 level student; former National Public Relations Officer, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS); mobilization officer to late Chief Anthony Enahoro, late Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti and Prof. Wole Soyinka’s led Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO).

REASON FOR PETITION

The ethos of our Party is that all aspirants are entitled to have a fear level playing field for free and fair elections to take place.

The APC National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated it publicly at different fora and to me personally that all aspirants should test their popularity on the field.

I am putting this petition forward and reporting what happened during the conduct of the House of Representatives Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency election and pre-election activities that took place before the primary election by the APC Party Chairman Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi and very few of the Apex Leaders in Oriade LCDA and Amuwo Odfin LG as they manipulated the LGA DELEGATE LIST and the House of Representatives processes to favour Prince Lanre Sanusi (PLS) an aspirant.

The following are what happened:

1. Tampering with the LG and Ward Congress list;

The LG and Ward Congress that took place in 2021 was peaceful and it presented an amonised executive list which embraced various political interest groups in Amuwo Odofin LG and Oriade LCDA.

The list was sent to APC National Headquarters in Abuja after the national congresses and thereafter ratified and sent back to Lagos State for the inauguration of the ward executives.

The chairman of each ward in Lagos State were inaugurated at the APC Lagos State Secretariat on Acme road, Ikeja. After the inauguration, they were instructed by the former APC chairman, chief Tunde Balogun to go and inaugurate their executive members in their various wards across the state. All this happened before the election that brought Pastor Ojelabi and his executive members into office as the chairman of All Progressives Congress and exco in Lagos State.

This authentic Exco list was well received by all and there were no appeals registered before the congress appeal committee.

Sir, like I said before, on the 3rd of September 2021 the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Ward Chairmen were sworn in at the Lagos State APC Secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja, Lagos State.

However in the days leading to the 27 May 2022 primary elections, the Lagos State Party Chairman Pastor Ojelabi in connivance with very few members of the Apex leaders (two members out of 22 members) in Amuwo Odofin LG and Oriade LCDA deliberately tampered with the LG and Ward Congress list that had been approved and ratified by the APC National Secretariat.

Sir, attached is the signed list from APC national secretariat Abuja and also the tampered list by Pastor Ojelabi that was used to conduct the questionable House of Representatives primary elections in Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency.

Sir, Pastor Ojelabi illegal list gave 11 delegate slots to Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, 1 slot to Hon. Mrs. Bola Badmus-Olujobi (Deputy Woman Leader, West, APC Lagos), 1 slot to Prince Adio Sekoni from Oriade LCDA, 1 slot to Alhaja Ajao (Amuwo Odofin LG), 1 slot to Alhaji Lawal (Amuwo Odofin LGA), 2 slots each to the 2 House of Assembly members in constituency 1&2, and 4 slots each to 7 out of 9 House of Representative aspirants.

Sir, the aspirants and other stakeholders were not consulted in the drawing up of this delegate list.

Furthermore the said list was signed by Hon. Mrs. Bola Badmus Olujobi who is a member of the APC Lagos State Executive, Alhaja Ajao, Alhaji Lawal, Hon. Ganiu Tunji Okukolu (former member House of Representatives, Amuwo Odofin Federal constituency), Mr. Ayo Ogungbiye the self aclaimed APC chairman for Amuwo Odofin LG and Mr. Hassan Sabitu Abu.

Pls kindly note Sir, that Amuwo Odofin LGA apex leader is Rt. Hon. Abayomi Kiyomi (former Hon. Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly).

Sir, Rt. Hon. Abayomi Kiyomi has no knowledge of this delegate list or what Alhaja Ajao and her co-traveler’s had done. Sir, Amuwo Odofin Apex structure has 22 members.

Please Sir, be aware that the Apex Leadership structure was created to support older members of the Party who have no position within the Party structure. It is therefore worrisome that 2 members who are not event senior members within that structure signed the document that has created this crisis.

Sir, If all the Apex Leaders were to be involved and invited with all stakeholders in Amuwo Odofin federal constituency, then robust discussion will take place and people will agree on how to conduct a peaceful delegate election and it would have carried more weight and the resolution of that meeting would have been binding and signed by the Chairman and secretary.

2. Petition from the Authentic LG and Ward Congress Delegates

Sir, the authentic delegates aspirants paid to the zenit account of APC and bought their forms from the Lagos State APC Secretariat and were ready for the delegate election exercise as instructed by the APC party however they were not allowed to participate in that election. Instead fake delegates who did not buy the delegate form or paid money for purchase of forms via the approved banks were imposed on us by the Party Chairman Pastor Ojelabi.

Sir, I am appealing that the Appeal Committe request for evidence from the fake delegates to show that they paid for their form in the bank and bought forms at the APC Lagos State Secretariat that will allowed them to take part in the delegate election exerise.

3. Qualification of Prince Lanre Sanusi:

The aspirant Prince Lanre Sanusi is not qualified to run for the position of House of Representative.

It is well documented that Prince Lanre Sanusi was disqualified by the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2019 for presenting fake United States of America, State of Texas academic documents to the screening committee of the Lagos State House of Assembly during the Executive Cabinet nominations process when his name was put forward as a Commissioner nominee.

Sir, I am requesting that this Appeal Committee calls for the report of the Lagos State House of Assembly screening committee that screened and disqualified Prince Lanre Sanusi for presentation of fake academic result.

Sir, Prince Lanre Sanusi do not leave in Amuwo Odofin LGA, all he did is rent an acommodation in Festac Town to show that he lives in the area.

Prince Lanre Sanusi 8 years ago contested against Hon. Jimmy Benson who is now the House of Representatives member for Ikorodu federal constituency and also  4 years ago he contested as a senator in Lagos East Senatorial district and when he saw that his chances was bleak, he then decided to move to Amuwo Odofin LG to contest for the House of Representatives. Sir, he came to Amuwo Odofin LG without an APC membership slip and INEC voter’s card. His INEC voter’s card as at that time was registered to Ikorodu 4 years ago. He only just transferred his INEC card to Amuwo Odofin LG recently and got his APC membership slip at the last APC membership registration exercise.

CONCLUSION/PRAYERS:

Sir, my prayer(s) to this honorable Appeal Committee is to investigate the issues raised above to determine the truth.

I further request that Prince Lanre Sanusi be disqualified and removed as the APC House of Representative candidate for Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency and that i be given the ticket of the APC to contest as the candidate of the APC party.

Sir, my antecedents speaks for itself, I am very popular and well known in the communities. I have contributed greatly to the development of Amuwo Odofin Local Government community, Lagos State and Nigeria. The APC party need to field a strong candidate who has the capacity and backing of the electorate to run against the PDP incumbent who will be running for 3rd term and defeat him at the 2023 election.

Sir, I thank you so much while I look forward to your committee dispensing Justice.

Yours Sincerely,

Comrade Ayodele Adewale

House of Representative Aspirant

Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency