In a dramatic turn of events ahead of the Lagos State local government elections, members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ward A4, Epe, have staged a vehement protest against what they describe as the imposition of an unpopular candidate during the just-concluded party primaries.
According to findings by SaharaReporters, the controversy erupted after party leaders allegedly overturned the actual results of the primary election held at the Epe Local Government Secretariat. In a surprising move, the APC declared a candidate who came a distant second as the winner — a decision that has enraged the grassroots members of the party.
At the heart of the controversy is Tukuru Ibrahim, the aggrieved front-runner who reportedly secured a clear majority of votes during the primaries. Party sources claim that Ibrahim polled 16 votes, while his closest rival, Badara Wasiu, managed just six votes. Another aspirant, Shittu Kehinde, reportedly failed to garner any votes.
Despite this apparent landslide, Wasiu was shockingly declared the winner at the APC State Secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja. This, according to outraged members, is a travesty of democracy and a slap in the face of party loyalists who turned out in large numbers to participate in the internal democratic process.
Accusations of high-level interference have also surfaced, with fingers pointed at a former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikúforiji, who is alleged to have influenced the outcome of the primaries in favor of his preferred candidate.
In a strongly worded petition addressed to the Chairman of the APC Primary Election Appeal Committee in Lagos, Tukuru Ibrahim demanded that the committee urgently investigate the matter. He called for a thorough review of video evidence and ballot papers to ensure transparency and justice.
“We are joining the chorus of outraged APC members across Lagos who are protesting the manipulation of primary election results. Our poll was captured on video, which clearly shows the accurate vote count. This is not just an injustice to one man but a betrayal of the democratic principles that the APC claims to uphold,” a party loyalist in Epe told SaharaReporters.
“We were stunned and infuriated when the candidate who got only six votes, compared to Tukuru’s sixteen, was announced as the winner. We will not accept this daylight robbery. The Appeal Committee must do the right thing and uphold the will of the people,” he added.
As tension continues to simmer in Epe and other parts of Lagos, political observers warn that the APC risks alienating its base if it fails to address the growing discontent among its members, many of whom are threatening to boycott the upcoming elections.
The ball is now in the court of the APC leadership in Lagos State — will they uphold justice or allow internal sabotage to derail the party’s prospects in the crucial local government polls?
PIONEER NEWS 