Lagos Mainland APC Aspirants Reject Primary Results, Demand Justice, Canvass Zoning to Ebute Metta West
Some aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary election for the Lagos Mainland Federal Constituency have rejected the results allegedly submitted by the returning officer, insisting that no valid election took place in several wards across the constituency.
The aggrieved aspirants, Prince Abdulhakeem Omolaja Animashahun, Hon. Lanre Oshun among others who described the exercise as chaotic and marred by widespread irregularities, have reportedly submitted a formal petition to the APC Lagos State Secretariat at ACME, Ogba, calling on the party leadership to nullify the process and investigated the conduct of the electoral officers.
According to the aspirants, elections did not hold in at least eight wards within the constituency due to confusion, disruption, and alleged intimidation by some political actors and their supporters.
They questioned how a returning officer could declare and submit election results despite the breakdown of the electoral process in many polling locations.
“One wonders how results could emerge from wards where voting never took place. There was confusion and chaos across the constituency, yet figures were allegedly compiled and submitted as authentic results,” one of the aspirants stated.
The petitioners maintained that the exercise failed to meet the minimum democratic standards expected of the ruling party, alleging that party members were denied the opportunity to freely choose their preferred candidate.
The aspirants also appealed to the leadership of the party to consider zoning the House of Representatives ticket to Ebute Metta West in the interest of fairness, equity, and political inclusion.
According to them, stakeholders and loyal party members from Ebute Metta West have remained committed to the growth and electoral success of the APC over the years and deserve an opportunity to produce the party’s candidate for the constituency.
They argued that zoning the ticket to Ebute Metta West would promote unity within the constituency, reduce tensions among party faithful, and strengthen the APC ahead of the general elections.
The aggrieved aspirants further urged the leadership of the party, including Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to intervene and ensure that justice, transparency, and internal democracy prevail in the handling of the Lagos Mainland primary election dispute.
The development comes amid growing discontent in some APC federal constituencies in Lagos State following allegations of irregularities, voter suppression, and manipulation during the House of Representatives primary elections held on Saturday.
As of the time of filing this report, the APC Lagos State chapter had yet to officially respond to the allegations raised by the aggrieved aspirants.
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