Sanwo-Olu Wins Lagos APC Governorship Primary

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has won the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) governorship primary in Lagos State.

This online newspaper understands that Sanwo-Olu emerged the winner after two other aspirants – former Commissioner of Energy, Mr Wale Oluwo and former Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of Energy, Mr Mustapha Olorunfemi – were not cleared for the primary.

More than 1,225 delegates were expected to cast their votes in the exercise and 1,198 were accredited.

Of those accredited, 1,182 votes were cast with 12 regarded as invalid.

Meanwhile, one of the disqualified aspirants, Oluwo Wasiu, has described the primary as a “blatant rape of democracy in APC Lagos.”

Oluwo, in a statement, said the delegates were handpicked by one faction of the APC in the state.

“Today, May 26, 2022, a purported “Governorship Primary Election” of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Lagos state is being held at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Onikan,” the statement said.

“According to the organizers of the event, the eligible “Delegates” to vote at the “GovernorshipPrimary Election” are those handpicked by just one of the APC factions in Lagos State, through a sham Delegates Congress purportedly held in the 245 Wards of Lagos State on 18th and 19th of May 2022.

“The one-sided Congress, which excluded all the other aspiring delegates that bought the APC Delegates Nomination Forms, was conducted in gross violation of the APC Electoral guidelines, APC Constitution and the Electoral Act. The Lagos State APC State Exco, headed by one pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, is complicit in the exercise of this blatant rape of democracy in APC Lagos.

“We also note that the Screening Committee, which was inaugurated by the APC National Headquarters to screen all Governorship Aspirants in Lagos State, has refused to publish the results of the screening exercise as at the time of this press release. The approved Election Guidelines of the APC mandates the Screening Committee to release its results within 24 hours of concluding the screening exercise, so as to give participating aspirants an opportunity to appeal the outcome of the screening at the APC Screening Appeals Committee. I cannot understand why the Screening Committee chose not to contact the aspirants screened by them, either by phone call, text message, written letter, or any other means of communication, considering their decision to withhold the results of the screening. This is a serious breach of aspirants’ fundamental rights to fair hearing, as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.

“It is clear that my candidacy in this2022 APC primary elections has generated massive positive excitement from party members and Lagosians generally. It has also created serious discomfort for those who are afraid of my message of a new agenda and accountability in governance. These discomforted powerful individuals have even gone to great lengths to prevent me from participating in the primary election of today by excluding me in a manner similar to the last Edo State episode where a sitting governor was denied participation in the internal democracy process of his party. The resultant effects of that misadventure still live with the party till date. The extent to which these same individuals have succeeded in their desperate scheming will become apparent when the Screening Committee eventually decides to “release” the results of the screening (which is already 12 days in arrears), however the will of the people will not be subverted.

“I implore my teeming supporters to remain calm and law abiding, despite the provocations. We will continue to seek redress from the internal dispute resolution mechanisms of the party, without foreclosing the enforcement of our rights to seek justice in the Court of Law.”