CITIZENS COMPASS–Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State on Tuesday, protested alleged imposition of Mr Adebayo Adefuye as the council’s chairmanship candidate for the July 12 Local Government Elections.
The Citizen Compass reports that the protest was carried out simultaneously as the Lagos State APC was presenting party’s flags to its chairmanship and councillorship candidates for the polls.
Scores of protesters, who came from different wards of Yaba LCDA, took to the streets in their hundreds to express their grievances.
They displayed placards with various inscriptions such as “Adebayo is an Alien”, “ Asiwaju, save our soul, Yaba LCDA rejects Adebayo Adefuye ”, “Yaba rejects Adefuye” and “Adefuye is a foreigner.”
Leading the protest, Mr Ismail Olorunimbe, a Chieftain of the party from Ward C, appealed to President Bola Tinubu and party leaders to save the party in the area by allowing the will of the party members to prevail.
Olorunimbe, said that party faithful in the area were unhappy over the imposition of Adefuye, who he said had been allegedly earlier rejected as chairmanship candidate at Somolu Local Government.
He said that Adefuye originally belonged to Somolu and not Yaba LCDA.
According to him, the APC leadership should pick its chairmanship flagbearers from the 13 aspirants who initially contested for the party ticket.
Olorunimbe said: “The people of Yaba LCDA are not happy, you can see the crowd, we are appealing to President Tinubu to please intervene.
“These people have laboured for the party, we need President’s intervention to reverse this trend and not to allow imposing Mr Adebayo Adefuye from Somolu to be our candidate in Yaba LCDA.
“Adebayo is an imposition and we won’t accept him, he should go back to Somolu and contest, we have capable hands, about 13 qualified aspirants came out here, they should pick among them.
“Adefuye does not have structures, no cultural ties, no economic ties and is not a residence of Yaba LCDA and does not know anything about the terrain.”
He, however, maintained the group’s loyalty to the party.
Olorunimbe queried the process that produced Adefuye as the candidate.
Also speaking, Mrs Rasidat Ojoobaro, another party stalwart appealed to the leadership of APC to please intervene, “to stop members from resorting to self help.”
Mrs Tayo Funsho, who also expressed grievances, said APC must listen to the will of the loyal party members.
Citizen Compass also gathered that the protesters moved from Adekunle roundabout to Sabo area.
The Citizen Compass also recalled that 55 Chairmanship candidates emerged at the May 10 APC primaries leaving out Lagos Mainland Local Government and Yaba LCDA owing to issues bordering on litigations, and so delegates were absent.
