Lagos APC Drives Away Sanwo-Olu’s Two Rivals From Governorship Primaries 

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was the only one present at the event.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

Only Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu was cleared to compete in the APC Governorship Primaries in Lagos State, according to the Electoral Committee.

On Thursday, the APC conducted a special state congress to choose the party’s nominee for the 2023 gubernatorial race.

This was stated by Adamu Yuguda, Chairman of the five-man electoral committee, in response to charges that the two other candidates in the race were barred from voting in the primary election.

Mr Yuguda said: “We are aware that three aspirants bought forms for Lagos state. Three accredited for the screening. One was cleared, two were not cleared.

“So, as we speak, the other two aspirants have not been cleared by the screening committee and by the appeal committee.

“We are only attending to those that have been cleared, the aspirant that has been cleared by the two committees.”

A former commissioner, Wale Oluwo, and a former permanent secretary, Abdul-Ahmed Mustapha, were the other two candidates for the top seat in Lagos state who were not certified. Both aspirants were barred from accessing the primaries’ venue.

Mr Yuguda, while assessing the exercise, said that because the Lagos APC was one family, it had aided the orderliness and peaceful conduct of the party’s delegates and leaders in the state.

“The exercise is transparent and going on well. Everything is taking place the way we expect it to be,” Mr Yuguda, a former deputy governor of Borno said.

He stated that the Lagos APC has 1,225 delegates, with 1,198 of them having been accredited.

As of 2:44 p.m., ad hoc delegates from two local government regions had voted, and the committee was moving on to the third.

On Thursday, the APC gubernatorial special congress will be held at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Lagos Island, previously known as Onikan Stadium.

However, as of the time of posting this article, the state’s rain has hampered the exercise’s progress.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was the only one present at the event.

The event is being held in the midst of a large security presence and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s officials.