close
Sunday, September 5, 2021

APC faction holds parallel local govt congress

The faction is alleging impunity, imposition and marginalisation in the party as reasons for their action.

• September 4, 2021
APC members holding party flag
APC members holding party flag [Photo credit: The Cable]

The Lagos4Lagos Movement, a dissatisfied group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, held a parallel local government congress at different locations in the state on Saturday.

The APC held its nationwide LGA congresses on Saturday.

The parallel congress is coming as the mainstream APC group, led by the State Caretaker Committee Chairman, Tunde Balogun, held its congress in designated areas as spelt out by the party’s Local Government Congress Committee.

Led by Olajide Adediran, members of the Lagos4Lagos are alleging impunity, imposition and marginalisation in the party as reasons for their action.

In Agege LGA, the group held its congress separately from the designated venue of the mainstream party in the state.

At the congress, 27 LG executives and three national delegates equally emerged, with Babatunde Odikunrin as Chairman, Ogunleye Babatunde as Vice Chairman and 25 other executives.

The names of three national delegates elected by the group were Sunday Ajayi, Kayode Opeifa, and Afolabi Rasheed.

Speaking to the press after the congress, Mr Ajayi, Vice-Chairman, Apex Committee of the Lagos4Lagos group, said the group aims to return the party to the people.

He said the group conducted its LGA congress as directed by the national body of the party.

He said the ward executives in their camp that emerged at the July 31 ward congresses in the state got inaugurated Friday.

Mr Ajayi said the group used the consensus method in the party guidelines to elect its LGA officers across the 20 recognised LGAs in the state.

“Our executives are the legitimate executives of the party in the state today. Lagos4Lagos Movement is for everybody.

We will run the party according to the wishes of members,” he said.

Reacting to the development, Mr Balogun said he was not aware of parallel congresses.

“It’s news to me; I am just hearing that.

The reports I got from those local governments are different from what you are saying.

“So, by tomorrow, if you call me, I must have gotten enough information, and I will get back to you.

“I am not sure of the parallel congresses.

I can’t react to such news; I want to confirm that,” the APC state caretaker chairman said.

In Ifako/Ijaiye LGA, the Balogun faction held its congress at the Ifako-Ijaiye Annex office, popularly known as the NRC building.

The Lagos4Lagos Movement group camped at the Ojokoro area of the council.

Each camp produced separate sets of 27 LG executives and three national delegates for the party in the council.

More from Peoples Gazette

Mahmud Aliyu

States

Gunmen abduct Borgu district head

The district head was kidnapped from his palace on Saturday night.

Spartak Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg

Sport

Massive brawl between Russian football fans leaves at least 7 injured

Police are focused on why Spartak Moscow fans had travelled to Tver even though their team was not playing there.

Mahmood Yakubu

NationWide

INEC redeploys five RECs, four directors

The electoral commission says the redeployments were part of its routine administrative postings.

Economy

Lagos has failed to provide land for mass housing scheme: FG

On August 13, Rivers became the 35th state to provide land for the federal mass housing programme, leaving only Lagos.

Aliyu Wamakko

Politics

Wamakko appoints 18 new aides to curb unemployment in his constituency: Report

The aides are former local government council chairmen, secretaries or former lawmakers and retired top civil servants.

Comrade Timi Frank and Godswill Akpabio

Port Harcourt

Timi Frank slams Akpabio for submitting NDDC audit report to AGF Malami

“Why should Malami receive a report of a committee he did not constitute? Malami and Akpabio are both ministers under Buhari.”