Crisis in Lagos APC as Lagos4Lagos, ex-SSG challenge status quo

• Want Buni to sack chairman
• No basis for alarm, says Balogun 

There is looming implosion in the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Princes Aderenle Adeniran Ogunsanya, and Convener, Lagos4Lagos Movement, Abdul Azzez Adediran, have mobilised over 6000 members to challenge the political hegemony of National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The duo also called on the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), led by Governor Mai Mala-Buni of Yobe State, to probe and consequently dissolve the Lagos Caretaker Committee headed by Chief Tunde Balogun.

Addressing the members, who were mobilised across 245 wards at a rally held at the Police College, GRA, Ikeja, yesterday, Adediran and Ogunsaya also passed a vote of no confidence on the Balogun-led Caretaker Committee over allegation of fraud.

They also said time had come when the people of Lagos should liberate themselves from the political slavery of one man. They alleged that the leadership of the party in Lagos deceived aspirants to pay N2 million for nomination forms for local government chairmanship and N550,000 for councillorship for its council primaries conducted on May 29, 2020 of which they had anointed candidates to impose.

Ogunsanya and Adediran said the Buni-led committee should investigate what transpired at the Lagos local government primaries with the determination to probe the situation.

In his words, Adediran said, “We are passing a vote of no confidence on the leadership of APC in Lagos State. And we want the National Caretaker of our party to dissolve the state caretaker committee. They collected our money promising to conduct local government primaries, which they didn’t do but instead imposed their candidates.

“We paid N2 million to buy forms for local government chairmanship and N550,000.00 for chancellorship forms and at the end of the day, they mismanaged our money without even given us opportunities to elect our choice candidates. We are saying enough of imposing unpopular candidates on us.”

He threatened to move out of the party along with his supporters across the 245 wards if the CECPC fails to do the needful.

“We want the Babatunde Balogun Caretaker committee in Lagos dissolved. We want all of them to be probed.” Ogunsanya urged the supporters who came with their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) not to be afraid.

MEANWHILE, Balogun told The Guardian via telephone, yesterday, that the allegations are baseless and that both have the right to express their views.

He said local government primaries were conducted by the party in accordance to the guidelines of Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) on May 29, 2021 across the 57 councils. He said the party is making serious efforts to reconcile all issues that arose after the crisis.

“I appeal to them to return to the progressive fold,” he said.