LAGOS – It was a mixed bag for the All Progressives Congress (APC) as it conducted ward congresses in Lagos on Saturday.
In some wards, late arrival of materials delayed the take-off of the congresses, while in others, the election of officers was conducted peacefully.
In other areas, protests rocked the process, with some members shunning the exercise and others heading for the state secretariat of the party in Ikeja to show their grievances.
In many wards visited across the state, party members, some of who arrived as early as 9.00a.m., arrived ahead of officials conducting the exercise.
At Ward A, Agbado-Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area, (LCDA) Alimosho, hundreds of people were waiting for officials as at 2.00p.m, with some of them contemplating that they would go home and return.
Others, however, continued to wait patiently, saying the officials would eventually come.
Mrs Elizabeth Odunaike, one of the waiting party members told NAN that she did not feel bad waiting.
“ We’ve been waiting since 9.00 a.m but we are prepared to wait,” she said.
Another member, Folasade Sanusi, also spoke in similar vein, saying she was okay with the wait.
By 2.10p.m. however, some of the people began to disperse.
At Ward E in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA), the congress did not take off until 11.00a.m as some of the members did not come along with their party registration slips.
Mr Oluremi Mustapha, Special Adviser, Education, Youths and Sports, Ojokoro LCDA, who was at the ward, advised the members to always present their party registration slips at all the party’s congresses.
Mustapha told NAN at the ward that the slip was a prerequisite for members to participate at all congresses.
Some party members were asked to go back home for their party registration slips for them to participate.
There was heavy presence of armed policemen at all the wards in the area, to forestall violence.
At Ward E, Egbe- Liasu, Alimosho Local Government Area in Lagos, Mr Waheed Bello, the Chairman of Egbe- Idimu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) told NAN he was happy with the turnout.
The congress in the ward was peaceful, with party members coming out in their hundreds.
The elections were done through a consensus agreement by the members.
A total number of 26 ward officials were chosen, along with five Local Government delegates and five state delegates.
One of the elected ex- officio members for ward E, Mr Emmanuel Okoroigbo, appreciated God for choosing him as one of the leaders.
Okoroigbo, an indigene of Imo, said he was delighted that he was chosen to serve.
The newly elected ward Chairman, Chief Akinbode Leshaodo, also expressed gratitude to the people.
Mr Lateef Ibirogba, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, while addressing the party members at Agbado- Oke-Odo Ward Congress, urged the electorate not to be nonchalant toward national development.
He said that the large turnout of members at the ward congress was an indication that APC had come to stay in the state.
Mr Hameed Mukaila and Mr Ogunbowale Olukayode, emerged as the Chairman and Secretary Ward F Agbado-Oke-Odo LCDA respectively while other candidates also won their elections for their posts unopposed.
At Ward C2, Ifako Ijaiye, crisis began when some people in their hundreds were brought into the venue of the congress.
The members already waiting for accreditation reacted, insisting that the people were not members of their ward but were brought in to join in the congress.
This led to fight in which some members were wounded but a swift intervention by the Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Finance, Mr Abayomi Ogunnusi and some securitymen quelled the situation.
Ogunlesi, who represents Ifako- Ijaiye constituency area of Lagos, said that those responsible for hitches in the party’s congress in his Ward C2, Ifako Ijaiye and some other areas, must be sanctioned.
He told the NAN that the party must hold fresh congress in the Ward and in areas where the congress was marred.
“I am especially disappointed that even in my ward, (ward C2- Ifako -Ijaiye) election materials were not brought in as at 1p.m. as against the stipulated time of 10 am given by the party for take-off of all congresses nationwide.
“My investigations revealed that some party chieftains in the council withheld the election materials with intent to hijack the process.
“It is an insult to the party and what it stands for,” Ogunnusi said.
Reacting to the development, the APC Chairman of the Congress Supervisory Committee for Lagos State, Dr Garuba Abari, said that the committee would look into all the allegations.(NAN)
