Rumbles in APC over candidates’ selection

…Chairmanship form goes for •5m

…PDP not ready for the election – Adewale

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

FOLLOWING, the issuance of guidelines for the July 22 local council poll by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, there is a rat race in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, for the chairmanship and councilorship slots. So far, the party has screened 450 chairmanship and 1,300 councilorship aspirants.

However, there are rumbles in the party over the decision of the party hierarchy to give 18 former chairmen automatic tickets as well as the high cost of the nomination forms.

LASIEC held a forum with political parties and stakeholders on April 13 to agree on the guidelines. LASIEC Chairman, Justice Ayotunde Philips said the forum was also to ensure transparency in the process leading to the conduct of the election.

Section 21 of LASIEC Law provides that the Notice of Elections shall be published not less than 90 days before the date of election. The essence of this publication is to notify all residents of the state of the date and timetable of events towards the conduct of free and fair elections.

Last year, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode signed into law an amendment made by the Lagos State House of Assembly that this section of the principal Law be amended to read 90 days in conformity with Section 30(i) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

Also, Section 24 LASIEC Law provides that political parties shall campaign for elections in conformity with the guidelines, which shall be issued by the commission. Contravention of this provision attracts a fine and or imprisonment.

A number of issues in LASIEC’s proposed guidelines generated heat. They include payment of administrative and nomination fees, non-use of electronic card reader, short period for the conduct of party primaries among others.

Earlier, Philips had read the proposed guidelines in part saying political parties are to pay administrative charges for the nomination of each of the candidates.

According to the guidelines, nomination form for the chairmanship was to cost N150,000; Vice Chairman N100,000 and councillor, N75,000. But it was later reviewed as follows: chairman, N100,000; vice chairman, 75,000 and councillor N30,000.

Following the stakeholders meeting, APC secretariat in the state returned to the trenches to prepare for the election. As part of the exercise, the party released fees for nomination forms for chairman and councillor positions.

APC chairmanship form goes for N550,000

For the chairmanship, the fee is N550,000, and N155,000 for councillors’ form. In apparent display of gender sensitivity, APC made the form free for female aspirants, which led to several women joining the race.

After the publication of nomination forms for sales, aspirants across the 20 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, stormed the ACM road, Ogba secretariat of APC to pick the forms.

Most of the aspirants, who thronged the secretariat, however, lamented the huge cost of nomination form, lamenting that it would encourage desperation and corruption, as many aspirants after election would be interested in recouping the funds expended on the poll.

According to one of the chairmanship aspirants from Agege area, “I have to run around among friends and relations before I could gather N550,000 for the nomination form.

“This is anti-democracy as it could debar progressive moves as only rich aspirants and dubious characters will eventually make it at the end. So, we are using this privilege to appeal to the leadership of the party to have a rethink and be truly progressive. Many good guys who are poor have been relegated by this move.”

APC screens 450 chairmanship, 1,300 councilorship aspirants

Nevertheless, APC has concluded the screening of about 450 aspirants who applied for chairmanship slots and over 1,300 aspirants obtained nomination forms for councillorship slots in the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, of the state.

In Apapa-Iganmu LCDA, it was gathered that there were over 20 chairmanship aspirants and several aspirants for councillor slots.

It was the same story for Amuwo-Odofin LGA, Ojo LGA, Ifako-Ijaiye, LCDA, Mosan Okun-Ola, Alimosho, Lagos Mainland and Island and Ikorodu LGAs among others.

It was expected that the screening exercise will be followed by primaries across councils to elect the candidates.

No chairmanship primaries in 18 councils – Tinubu

APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, at a stakeholders’ meeting at the APC Secretariat in Ogba, Lagos, declared that there will be no chairmanship primaries in18 councils because candidates for the councils had been chosen earlier.Tinubu said that the candidates were previous chairmen who were promised automatic tickets by the party as compensation for their efforts in the state and party.

He however, urged members to support the candidates of the party in the poll.

“None of the Sole Administrators that took over from the Executive Secretaries (ES), will be allowed to contest in the election.” Tinubu stated.

Responding to issues raised by party members that the ES should be disallowed from contesting, Tinubu said: “Doing such would amount to denying them their rights having left office more than a year ago. It is just like saying that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode or Senators and other party leaders should not be allowed second term.”

Party leaders in all 57 councils were directed to give special concession to youths and women, while also urging members of the party in Surulere to give peace a chance and drop all forms of public disorder.

While addressing the congregation, Ambode charged APC members to ensure that the party wins all available positions in the election.

“Almost exactly two years after, we have cause to thank God. I am able to look back that the confidence you gave me two years ago and all of you working together to make sure I defeated the PDP candidate was no small feat.

“I have come here not only to attend this meeting but to say a big thank you to all of you. I want to thank you for being the first set of people that believed in me and thereafter God has been so gracious, he has not allowed me to disappoint you. I want to say a big thank you to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the State APC Chairmen and Exco members for supporting that course.

“I want to implore all of us, whatever it is that would have transpired, it is very clear that this coming LG elections is all in your hands; just the same way we have done in the last two years, my call to all members of our great party is that all 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas must be won by APC without exception,” the Governor said.

Challenges in APC’s preparation

Noting that there were challenges and issues that had emanated in the run up to the local government elections, Ambode, urged members to stand by the decisions of the party leaders, which according to him would bring about the best for all.

“This is our first gathering this year, it is very significant, it is instructive and we are meeting on a very happy note. We have begun a new journey into the crusade to make Nigeria a progressive nation and it is starting from this process that we would use; our Chairmen, Councillors, SLGS and this is the new chart that we want to follow in this state.

“A whole lot of things have happened; it is left in the hands of Asiwaju to proclaim the way forward for all of us. So, whatever direction Asiwaju say we should go, we would go,” he said.

In the meantime, all aspirants who have not been cleared have been told to ask for refund if they so wish.

APC ask aggrieved APC aspirants to ask for nomination fee refund

Many of the aspirants, who were affected by the decision, expressed their dissatisfaction with APC leaders, saying that it could negatively affect APC’s chances in some councils. In the 2015 General Polls the APC lost to rival Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 10 councils.

Speaking to Vanguard on the preparation of the party Acting Chairman of APC, Lagos State chapter, Hakeem Bangbala, who commended the LASIEC for the processes leading to the exercise said APC is ready for the poll and will win all the slots.

PDP not ready for the election – Adewale

Asked a similar question Otunba Segun Adewale, Alias, “Aeroland”, factional state chairman of PDP, said: “To be sincere, I believe in the current chairman of LASIEC. She has promised us free and fair election, so we have no doubt at all with all we have seen so far, we believe the election will be credible considering what we had last year.”

On the preparation of PDP as a party for the poll, he said: “To be honest with you again, PDP is not ready due to internal wrangling. Because I don’t see any reason why we should not abide by the law but if we chose to abide by the law may be we will be ready for the poll, but for now we are not prepared.”

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