By Benson Idahome, Staff Reporter, Lagos state.
Concerned All Progressive Congress (APC) Party stakeholders have dismissed the claims by one Yesiru Kuramo who described himself as APC Acting Publicity Secretary in the state that the party has successfully conducted its special congresses to choose party officers who would vote at the forthcoming primaries ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The stakeholders in a joint statement released to the press described the claims as not only spurious but a total rubbish. “No congress held anywhere in this state, we can authoritatively announce this “, said Alhaji Gbolanhan Lawal who signed the statement, “This has become a regular practice for them in the past and they always escape with this undemocratic practice”, he stated.
The said Yesiru Kuramo had falsely disclosed that the congresses were held in 245 wards across the state and were rancor free, He further disclosed that the congresses produced five LGA delegates comprising three males and two females. But Alhaji Gbolanhan dismissed these disclosures as outright falsehood and a rape of democracy. “We state categorically that no congress was held and no officials were selected”, he revealed.
Alhaji Gbolanhan went on to state that a faction of the party loyal to a top chieftain of the party with a “national title” had formed the habit of shortchanging the loyal members of the party and hijacking same for personal and selfish purposes. “No congress we held; I can authoritatively expose to the world that they merely compiled names of their loyalists and gave them a stamp of authority”, he disclosed.
Alhaji Gbolanhan stated that contrary to Yesiru’s claims, no Congress Committee members from the national Headquarters were present anywhere talk less of mentioning the name of a revered Mr. Zacchaeus Adelabu as accomplice. “We know Mr. Zacchaeus Adelabu very well; he would not allow his name to be dragged into the mud and used for mischief”, he explained in the statement. “No congress was held; no party guideline was followed anywhere”, stressed Alhaji Gbolanhan.
Alhaji Gbolanhan then called on the National Headquarters of the APC to be wary of those poised to truncate our nascent democracy and thus further their parochial interest. “The good news here is that a new party leadership is in place in Abuja and we are confident that they would not tolerate this deliberate rape of democracy”, he announced.
It would be recalled that the National Headquarters had counseled for Consensus arrangement in the scheme of things but this process was always observed in the breach and has been consistently abused by this same group within the Lagos State APC for their selfish ends. “They simply handpicked members of their faction and wrote their names with pencil; that’s what they claim is the congress”, said Alhaji Gbolanhan. He then pleaded to the national leadership to help return the Lagos APC back to the genuine stakeholders explaining that internal democracy must be allowed to be the norm in line with extant rules and regulations.
