24th May, 2017
Oluwole Adeboye
In preparation for Friday’s local government primary election, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and stakeholders in Agege have adopted two consensus candidates for Agege Local Government Area and Orile Agege Local Council Development Area.
The consensus candidates adopted by the Agege APC leaders are: Mr Akin Oke for Agege Local Government Area and Afolabi Ayantayo for Orile Agege Local Council Development Area.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, the APC chairman in Orile Agege, Chief Sunday Ajayi, who announced the names of the candidates, said: “We must all shun violence during the primary. Whatever any rumor circulating in the two local governments, we stand by the leadership of our great party and our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the chairman of the party in Lagos, Otunba Henry Ajomale and the national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
”We have chosen consensus candidates in the persons of Mr Akin Oke for Agege Local Government Area and Afolabi Ayantayo, for Orile Agege Local Council Development Area. Those trying to force their candidates on us should shelve the idea.”
Many of those present at the conference unanimously agreed that the two candidates enjoyed the support of APC leadership in Agege.
The former chairman of Agege Local Government, Hon. Kareem Jubril rejected any attempt by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa to impose candidates on the two local government councils. He vowed that this would be resisted. “People say we have so many gladiators in Agege who dictate, yes, but there is no way for imposition,” he stated.
A member of the House of Representatives representing Agege constituency, Hon. Taofeek Adaranijo, agreed with Jubril. “What we are doing today is in line with what our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu asked us to do for a peaceful, free and fair election of candidates of our great party.
”Although, we have two consensus chairmanship aspirants, Mr Akin Oke for Agege Local Government and Hon Afolabi Ayantayo for Orile Agege LCDA, but we are using this forum to tell our members that we are for the primary election coming up this weekend and to warn those clamoring for the imposition of their candidates to drop the idea in the interest of fairness.”
Some of the party faithful were seen carrying placards which read: “We reject imposition by Obasa”, “Let’s respect democracy,” “We stand by our leaders”.