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THAT LAGOS APC MAY SURVIVE AHEAD OF 2027

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THAT LAGOS APC MAY SURVIVE AHEAD OF 2027

THAT LAGOS APC MAY SURVIVE AHEAD OF 2027

 

 

 

 

 

By Animashaun Ogundele

 

 

 

 

 

Sahara Weekly Reports That It did not start right now, but what has the tendency to finally destroy the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos has become a foetus that could be birthed before the 2027 general election. The party in the state is still trying to strengthen-up from its loss at the presidential election of 2023. That was, indeed, a shocking output from which many fingers point at the leadership of the party in the State led by Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi.

 

 

 

 

THAT LAGOS APC MAY SURVIVE AHEAD OF 2027

 

 

 

 

A review of the 2023 election by some members of the party showed that the usual steps to victory for the party was jettisoned under Ojelabi, whose exco decided to hire consultants. The party had always incorporated all the ward chairmen for mobilisation during electioneering. It was not done. And the result? A strike below the spine that got all and sundry bracing up urgently ahead of the governorship election that followed.

 

It is known the world over that one beautiful goal of a political party is winning elections but this is supposed to be through an effective membership drive. Thus, the more the members of a political party, the more strength the party garners. But in the case of the Lagos APC, the party has embarked on what is now termed ‘a weeding spree’, an action that has caused anger and opposition by some members. Currently, the exco is now said to be thriving in confusion following an escalation of an action it thought was close-knit.

 

THE BEGINNING

 

What is now becoming a danger to the party started on Monday, June 24, 2024, when Ojelabi reportedly met with stakeholders in the APC in the Alimosho area of the state. Alimosho had been challenged by a leadership crisis which is believed to result from loyalty to two groups – Justice Forum of Nigeria and The Mandate Movement of Nigeria – within the party. Ojelabi, a member of the Justice Forum, had reportedly caused suspicion when he was said to have invited members of his group in Alimosho led by former Deputy Governor Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire. Also invited was Abdullahi Ayinde Enilolobo, an ought-to-be member of the Mandate Movement, but whose tendencies favour the Justice Forum. With the news filtering out that Enilolobo was invited, suspicion took centre-stage. The members of the Mandate Movement marched on the party secretariat and met a defiant chairman who initially declined honouring them until he realised how resolute the protesters were. The protesters wanted to be part of the meeting because they did not trust Enilolobo, whose antics, they claimed, led to the defeat of the party in the presidential election of 2023.

 

However, while the meeting lasted, a separate template was being hatched by the exco. In just 24 hours after the meeting, some leaders of The Mandate Movement in Alimosho were summoned by the police in Alagbon based on a petition on behalf of Ojelabi. Among other allegations, they were accused of cyber stalking, threat to life and illegal possession of firearms. The police found nothing against the leaders.

 

On July 1, 2024, the party, through its secretary, Dr. Adeola Jokomba, sent a letter to the ward chairmen in Alimosho to activate Article 21 of the party constitution “to investigate the said occurrence of 24th June, 2024.” This letter came with a pre-assumed list of those to be investigated, many of whom were said not to be at the party secretariat on the day of the protest. The letter had claimed that the protesters were armed and unleashed violence on the chairman. This, meanwhile, is against the explanation that the same chairman held a fruitful meeting with them after his initial stance.

 

One of the suspended members, who said he received the letter through Whatsapp explained that Article 21 of the party constitution emphasises fair hearing, but “without even inviting us for a defence, we suddenly started seeing our suspension letters on social media. Some letters were sent on July 3rd while some people got theirs on July 5th. In fact, what they did was to profile all members of The Mandate Movement for suspension. In Ward A of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA alone, 54 members of the party were issued suspension letters. Using some local government council chairmen, this same suspension has been extended to some political appointees at the local government levels suspected to be loyal to The Mandate Movement of Nigeria.

 

A PARTY WITHOUT MEETINGS

 

First, a part of the grievance within the party stems from a complaint that since the 2023 elections, the party has hardly held general ward or local government meetings as it used to happen. General Ward meetings have only been held four times while LGA meetings have been held just three times. Meetings with LGA party chairmen were held only three times while no meeting has been held between him and all the 376 ward chairmen since he became the state chairman. The members are now left in limbo.

 

One issue pointing against Ojelabi is that under his leadership, the party still grapples with two parallel excos in the Mainland area of the state. According to insiders, the issue had been resolved by the last state chairman of the party. However, to shore up the strength of the Justice Forum, he was said to have declared that he was reviewing the resolutions following fresh petitions. “Now, there are two factions of the Mainland exco of the party. During the election and up till now, he uses his friends and cohorts as consultants thus jettisoning the party structures,” an aggrieved member said noting that APC canvassers and some agents of the party during the election have not been paid till now.

 

Aside from this fact, insider sources say polling unit committees set up to administer voting during the elections have mostly remained unpaid till now. Reliably gathered, some ward chairmen had at a time complained to the Governor who, in turn, told them to ask from Ojelabi how the latter expended the N2 billion out of donated campaign funds set aside for that purpose. Confronted, Ojelabi reportedly said he was not aware that his consultants had not paid most Polling Unit committee members. He promised to look into the matter. Since then, those affected say they have remained unpaid.

 

Checks show that the supposed consultants are not just party members who should ordinarily contribute like others to the party’s progress, they are also drawn from his Justice Forum. They include two former commissioners, one from Agege and the other from Alimosho, and the third a former head of one of the parastatals in Lagos. A general belief among party members is that the supposed consultants are channels through which party funds are piped out of the secretariat by the chairman.

 

Members continue to grudge over his strategy which they claim is a major reason APC lost the presidential election in Lagos. Ojelabi lost the presidential and National Assembly elections in his federal constituency. He lost all the polling units around his Iba/New Site residence too to the Labour Party. A strongly held view among party members is that the APC under his watch would hardly match the fortunes recorded under Chief Henry Ajomale and Tunde Balogun, who once held sway as chairmen. As it is, party members are left confused. They say it does not look like there are structures in place to begin to smarten up from the last election as activities at the APC secretariat are at their lowest ebb.

 

ONE-MAN SHOW

 

For some members of the State Executive Committee, the APC secretariat on Acme Road is run more like it is handled by a sole administrator and a member of the party lamented: “you either shape in or fall out. You don’t only fall out if you oppose, you also fall out of every favour. Whatever opportunity you have to make a contribution, the chairman thinks he is doing you a favour.” According to them members, no other member of the exco has a say in the running of the party. And for his decisions? They are final once he takes them. No recourse to anybody. An evidence of this, they pointed out, is how he had allegedly constantly cowed and intimidated the party secretary and treasurer frustrating them at will. It is a gossip within the secretariat that anybody who tries to oppose him should be ready to face frustration beyond limit.

 

“His word is law oh! That was how he orchestrated the suspension of an exco member leading to other exco members being mindful, conscious, and scared of making inputs no matter how important and beneficial such would be,” an aggrieved party member within the secretariat complained.

In fact, it is claimed that one reason attributed to the loss of the party at the 2023 election was that Ojelabi “moved the secretariat from Acme to an unknown location making it a Herculean task for party chiefs, LGA and ward party chairmen who had complaints about developments during the election from reaching or accessing him.

 

PARTY LARGESSE/SHARING FORMULA

 

One baggage that Pastor Ojelabi carries on his shoulders is the allegation that his leadership makes sure that largesse and palliatives to party members are skewed in favour of the Justice Forum within his constituency and the state. This is believed to have happened consistently. Examples are said to have been noted in the federal and state governments’ palliatives and cash transfers. One such occasion occurred when he was said to have under-declared the number of palliative slots given to the party at a meeting he held with his exco members. Some of the exco members at the meeting could not stomach this. They openly criticised him at the meeting.

 

AMBITION 2027

 

Those kicking against Ojelabi’s current style of leadership say he is tilted to achieving an acclaimed goal of becoming the running mate to Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat in 2027. Engineer Hamzat is believed to be eyeing the governorship seat and according to insiders, Ojelabi has mapped out his own plan ahead of the election and has begun “hatching the eggs” by cajoling council chairmen to either belong to the Justice Forum overseen by Hamzat or get their fingers burnt.

 

CHALLENGE BEFORE OJELABI

 

A major headache before the party chairman and the exco currently is how to effectively mop up the suspension letters issued out already. It was learnt that leaders within the Governance Advisory Council had blamed him for his shoddy handling of the protest. He was also said to have been reminded that as chairman, he should allow democracy thrive in every of his actions. Coincidentally, while the intervention by the GAC was ongoing, the suspension letters had been released creating for difficulties in retrieving them. The only option left to the chairman was for an outright public denial of the order suspending the members. A press release was issued by the party in this regard, but those already suspended, said the letters sent to the ward chairmen ordering investigation as well as the suspension letters to the members were proofs that the Ojelabi meant to ostracise them. There is no doubting the fact that despite these challenges reeled out, APC in Lagos remains strong in comparison with other political organisations. However, this health, though fragile, is laced with injuries. What is left to be done is for well-meaning party leaders to salvage the party, heal these injuries and make it hale and hearty again.

 

 

Ogundele, a political analyst and APC supporter, writes from Lagos.

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Botswana Election: Shocking Fulfilment Of Primate Ayodele’s Prophecy (VIDEO)

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Corruption in Nigeria is a fraternity - Primate Ayodele

*Botswana Election: Shocking Fulfilment Of Primate Ayodele’s Prophecy (VIDEO)

 

 

The outcome of the just concluded election in Botswana that saw the ruling party lose power after 58 years is a testament to Primate Ayodele’s prophetic credibility.

Voters in Botswana have delivered a shock defeat to the party that has ruled them for nearly six decades by handing victory to an opposition coalition and its presidential candidate Duma Boko.

The 54-year-old of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) will replace President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who on Friday conceded defeat after his Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) lost by a landslide for the first time in 58 years.

Primate Ayodele had on several occasions long before this election held that the incumbent president would be disappointed at the election polls. He made it known that the outcome of the election would be shocking and disappointing to the ruling party.

These were his words:

‘’In Botswana, the president will make every effort and the country will want to move on to a stage but the president must be careful so he won’t be disappointed. In the coming election, the president will be disappointed, people will not want to vote him.’’

@primateayodele

#primateayodele #iescworldwide #botswana #mokgwetsimasisi #botswana🇧🇼tiktok #ndc #dumaboko #fulfillment #prophecyfulfilled #election #election2024 #africa #africantiktok #african

♬ original sound – Primate Ayodele

Primate Ayodele made this video in September 2023 regarding the nation of Botswana when there was nothing that looked like the incumbent president was going to lose the election in the physical realm but the prophet, as usual, spoke based on divine signals received from God and it’s surprising that the prophecy came to pass in this manner.

For a party to rule for 58 years, it is almost impossible to take power from such a party and this is what makes the prophecy of Primate Ayodele unique.

If the president had listened to Primate Ayodele, maybe he would have tried to work on some of the things that later made him lose the election but as usual of politicians, they ignore prophetic warnings and regret later when they happen.

It would also be recalled that in October 2023, Primate Ayodele warned the incumbent president to be careful so that he wouldn’twas shoot himself in the leg and face betrayal in the election that held yesterday.

These were his words

‘’The incumbent president of Botswana must pray for good health and God’s divine help. The country should pray against disease outbreaks and the prevention of border crises. The president will have a tough time because he will shoot himself with an unpopular policy. I see their currency becoming weaker. Investors will dump the country. They need to be careful of external attack, the president will be betrayed.’’

Primate Ayodele Releases Prophecies On Elections In Namibia, Botswana, Rwanda, Others

Sadly, some of the president’s policies led to his loss, as Primate Ayodele warned him.

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Aiyedatiwa is in panic mode, says PDP

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Aiyedatiwa is in panic mode, says PDP

Aiyedatiwa is in panic mode, says PDP

 

Ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Ondo state, the main opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has said that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, was in panic over losing the election.

 

However, the APC has dismissed the PDP claim as hogwash, insisting that the governor would win the poll in a landslide.

 

PDP Publicity Secretary, Hon Kennedy Peretei, said: “As the Ondo election approaches the Zero Hour, those who said the election was a walk-over for them have been unable to have sound sleep, slipping into a ‘panic mode.’ A good number of them, who initially proclaimed that they are ‘Lucky’ are singing a new song, based on the realities they encountered on the field.

“The comfort of their offices from where they proclaimed being ‘Lucky’ are the exact opposite of the streets in which hunger and lack, walk in all four legs.

“The electorate sent the signal wherever the campaign train of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa visited that there is pain in the land, orchestrated by the All Progressives Congress, Aiyedatiwa’s party. In their confusion, the National Chairman of APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, in one breath, said the Edo ‘Template’ will be applied in Ondo State. In another, he said, the APC does not need to rig the Ondo election to win.

“This was the first sign that the APC national leadership has come to terms with the reality that nobody can rig the November 16 election, and they are not as lucky as they hitherto assumed.

“Having failed to convince the people why they should trust him with their mandate, some panicky measures were taken.

“Because they were not all well thought out, they all fell flat on their backs. The 416 political appointees, carefully selected from the 203 Electoral Wards were shocked to discover that, for October, 2024, they received no salary alert.

“What is the guarantee that, after losing the election in November, they will be paid? Are these not the same people shouting they are ‘Lucky’? They should know better by now.

 

 

“When the alarm that the N73,000 minimum wage was announced at a campaign rally was another promise that would never be met, some people dismissed it. Those workers who went to endorse the governor for another term should ask themselves again if indeed, they have been lucky with this Governor.

 

“After spending 10 months in the saddle, it is his programmes and projects that should have done the campaigns for Governor Aiyedatiwa. Instead, he is recruiting propagandists to lie to Ondo State people, as if we are blind and deaf.

 

“Out of fear of losing the election, the Commandant of Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye was drafted to head a 25-member security committee of the campaigns. Instead of apologizing to the people, the Spokesman of the Aiyedatiwa Campaign denied that such was ever proposed. How can anybody trust people who lie so shamelessly in this manner? Those who think Ondo State is lucky with this kind of administration should pinch themselves to be sure that they are not dreaming.

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Breaking: Suspended Lagos LG Chairman Writes Assembly, Seeks Lawmakers’ Forgiveness

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Domestic Violence: Lagos Assembly Urges Enlightenment Units In Schools

Breaking: Suspended Lagos LG Chairman Writes Assembly, Seeks Lawmakers’ Forgiveness

 

Suspended chairman of the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, Jelili Sulaimon, has pleaded with the state Assembly men for forgiveness, nearly a month after he was axed for non-compliance, defiance and unyielding attitude to the legislative House.

In a ‘Letter of Apology’ personally signed by the embattled chairman, addressed to Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and read on the floor of the House on Tuesday, Jelili agreed that his actions may have caused disrespect to the House.

Breaking: Suspended Lagos LG Chairman Writes Assembly, Seeks Lawmakers' Forgiveness

While expressing regret, he promised to henceforth show maximum respect to the House and work closely with the legislators.

The suspended chairman also informed the House, through a letter by his lawyers, that he had withdrawn the suit he filed against the Assembly before a Federal High Court, Abuja.

“I am writing to express my most sincere and heartfelt apology for any actions or inactions, misrepresentation or conduct on my part that may have contributed to the recent misunderstanding between myself and the esteemed Lagos State House of Assembly under your leadership.

“Upon reflection, I realised that my conduct and certain decisions I made might have been perceived as disrespectful or contrary to the standard of leadership and the mutual respect that defines the relationship between the Assembly and the local government leadership.

“This was never my intention. I deeply regret any discomfort or displeasure this may have caused your personality as well as the entire House.

“I have always held the Lagos State House of Assembly and your esteemed office in particular, in the highest regard.

“Any action or miscommunication that may have suggested otherwise was an unfortunate oversight on my part. I am committed to fostering a more constructive and respectful relationship going forward.

“Once again, I sincerely apologise for any inconveniences caused by my actions or inactions,” the letter read as Jelili promised to work closely with the House henceforth.

The House is yet to debate the letter.

Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

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