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The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected claims suggesting that the party has a prearranged list of candidates for the upcoming House of Representatives and state House of Assembly primaries.
This comes after a group known as “Concerned Members of the Lagos State chapter of the APC” accused key party figures of secretly preparing a list of favoured candidates ahead of the primaries.
The allegations, led by Tunde Samson, accused influential party members, including Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, House of Representatives member James Faleke, APC Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi, and party chieftain Mutiu Aare, of conspiring to impose candidates.
They argued that such actions undermine the party’s commitment to direct primaries, which they claim should allow members the right to freely select candidates.
In response, Cornelius Ojelabi, Chairman of Lagos APC, firmly rejected the allegations, calling them baseless and misleading.
“There is no plot, no clandestine meetings, and no predetermined list of candidates as falsely alleged,” he stressed, condemning the claims as a “reckless exercise in mischief” aimed at creating unnecessary discord within the party.
Ojelabi pointed out that individuals unable to navigate party processes through legitimate channels resorted to “propaganda, blackmail, and anonymous media sensationalism.”
Ojelabi reaffirmed that APC’s process for candidate selection adheres to both the law and the party’s internal guidelines. In cases where consensus cannot be reached after extensive consultation, direct primaries will take place.
He called on party members and the public to disregard the “antics of faceless groups” and assured that the APC’s internal democracy would remain intact in candidate selection.
