Ahead local government elections which hold Saturday, July 22, community leaders and members of All Progressive People’s Congress (APC) in Apapa Local Government of Lagos State have expressed their fears over the choice of Mr. Elijah Owolabi as the Chairmanship Candidate of the party

Consequently, the party members and community leaders have called upon the national leadership of the party to wade into the crisis in order to avoid failure when local government polls hold July 22.

This was disclosed at a press briefing held at Apapa, Lagos, recently.

Speaking, a community leader and politician from Ward C, Mr. Bayo Adesanya said: “I want to thank our national leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for making our party a national party and for his good and exemplary leadership. We also want to call his attention to the crisis currently rocking the local government area. For the past 10 years, Ward E has dominated the political space in the local government thus marginalizing all the other four wards in the local government.

“Where is such injustice done in this world? Elijah Owolabi, the man who has been imposed on us is from Ward E which ward has been producing the chairman for the last 10 years. Are they saying that in the past 10 years, all the other wards have not produced competent people that can win elections and deliver? Besides that, he is rejected because he is not sellable.

“We, as APC party members on ground in Apapa, know that his candidature is a minus to the interests of the party and he cannot bring victory to the party in the next election,” he lamented.
Calling on Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to intervene in the matter, he stated that the pair of Adesanya, the former chairman and Owolabi has been dropping names that their candidature was approved by Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo and nothing could be done to stop them.

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He said: “Owolabi and his predecessor have been boasting that the Acting President, Osinbajo nominated them and nothing could alter it because they are members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God )RCCG). Osinbajo is a good man and no one should discredit his name. He should rescue us from these people. The National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, should do something immediately.”

For Hon. Olabanjo Mankanjuola: “The people of Apapa are frustrated because of the kind of politics of exclusion they practice. Immediately they assume office, they see other wards as their enemies, hence the dividends of democracy have not extended to other wards and the youths are becoming more restless.

He appealed to the party leaders to come to their aid as they have not compromised their loyalty to the party and therefore they should not be short changed.

Speaking, the representative of Apapa youths in Apapa LGA, Oluwasegun Moses said that the continuous choice of Ward E as representatives of Apapa LGA was unacceptable.. He said: “Wards A, B, C and D have not been happy for years. Owolabi and his team members have been playing politics of exclusion since he was made the chairmanship candidate. This marginalization has been going on for 10 years and now it must stop.”
Other APC members present also expressed their displeasure. They included Jimoh Salami Mucheche, Hajia Bola Yakub, Alloy Odok Ayim Mr. Muri Kaffo, Iduh Jeremiah, Ganiu Bello, Joe Bassey and Gibraltar Njowusi among a host of others.
They unanimously warned: “If the leaders don’t respond, there will be problem and we might lose the elections and that is the risk we do not want to take. If he, Owolabi remains the candidate of the party, we are afraid of what may happen to the party because the electorates have rejected him.

Attempts to speak to Elijah Owolabi was not successful when this report was filed.