Controversy Trails APC Senators, Reps’ Primaries

Controversy has continued to trail the conduct and results of the National Assembly and state House of Assembly primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Lagos State.
Various aggrieved aspirants have claimed that there was no election held in most areas where APC declared results, while violence was also recorded in most parts, among others illegalities.
The controversy came following the release of results of the rescheduled primaries by Electoral Committee in the state.
The rescheduled primaries were initially slated for last Thursday but were later cancelled due to logistic issues.
Chairman of the committee and a former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Mr Lucky Imasuen, during a media briefing, yesterday, at the party’s Secretariat, Ogba, Ikeja, said the primaries were contested for the three senatorial seats, 24 House of Representatives and 40 state House of Assembly seats.
He described the exercise as peaceful and successful. According to Imasuen, Senenator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the National Leader of APC, Asiwaji Bola Tinubu, polled 89,494 votes unopposed to emerge as candidate for Lagos Central, while, Senator Olamilekan Solomon, representing Lagos West, won with 378,906 votes as against the 1,179 votes polled by Mr Kayode Opeifa and Mrs. Areago Olopade’s1,275 votes.
Imasuen added that a new entrant and a member of the State House of Assembly, Bayo Oshinowo, defeated the incumbent Senator Gbenga Ashafa with 247,743 votes to emerge as new candidate for the Lagos East Senatorial district, saying, Ashafa, polled 20,385 in the primary.
Imasuen said the details of the House of Representatives and state House of Assembly primaries results were ready and would be released later.
While commending the people for good conduct and other stakeholders for supporting the committee in doing its work, he said:”The primaries were peaceful and successful. We thank the state chapter led by Tunde Balogun for the support for the committee. We also thank all other stakeholders including all members of our party in the state for making the conduct a success.”
Ashafa, while rejecting the result by the committee laid claim to victory at the recently concluded Senatorial primaries in the state.
Ashafa, who as at the time of the primaries/affirmation exercise was the only candidate cleared to contest the election on the party alongside the other incumbent senators from Lagos Central, Tinubu and Adeola, respectively, has insisted that being the only recognized candidate, he was going into the elections unopposed.
The aggrieved senator, maintained, “A report has been making the rounds across a few media houses, alleging the announcement of Honourable Bayo Oshinowo as the winner of the Lagos East senatorial election.
“This unconfirmed report has caused palpable tension within the district due to the failure of the state party to make an official statement on the matter.”
Speaking to one of the officials of APC, in Abuja who pleaded anonymity on the unfolding event, said: “There is no way results of an election would have been announced if what took place was an affirmation. Furthermore, it would be juvenile to declare an individual (Osinowo) who did not scale through the screening process of the party the winner of an election he was not qualified for.”
As at the time of filing this report none of the spokes persons of both camps could be reached as aggrieved party awaits final decision by the National Working Committee (NWC), on the matter.
Meanwhile, the National body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that Sen. Shehu Sani remained its only senatorial candidate from Kaduna Central.
The Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Yekini Nabena, gave the clarification in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.
He said Sani was the only senatorial candidate from the zone that was duly recognised by the national body.