APC Holds LG Congress Elections Nationwide

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has held local government congress elections across the country.

The exercise scheduled for Saturday was to elect the leadership of the party at the local government level, and those who eventually become delegates to regional and national congresses and convention.

APC held this second layer of the congresses after it ratified the Ward Congress Appeal Reports across the country.

APC’s Caretaker Committee Chairman and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni said the court orders from Delta and Akwa Ibom will not stop the process as it does not affect the conduct of the exercise.

He asked party members to abide by the rules governing the election, promising that the party will address all anomalies emanating from the process.

In Lagos State, the congress held in the 20 local government areas.

‘Peaceful process’
At the congress held in the Oshodi area of Lagos, officials were chosen by consensus across 11 wards.

Reacting to the exercise, the Chairman of the Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area, Kehinde Oloyede said the process was peaceful.

He said despite the fear that violence would disrupt the election, the exercise was peaceful with delegates exercising their franchise.

“Oshodi is known for violence in the past but it has been peaceful,” he said.

“We went to the general elections, no incident of violence. On getting to this excos, we make sure that we harmonise the list. All the caucuses were fully represented. At a stage, some unscrupulous elements from the state level tried to tinker with the list but the majority will always have their way.”

‘A civilised manner’
In neighbouring Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun joined other APC members to elect delegates for the party at the local government level.

He participated in the exercise at the grounds of St Saviour Anglican Primary School in Ikenne Local Government Area of the state.

Governor Abiodun commended party members for displaying maturity in Ikene and other areas where the exercise was held.

“Our party faithful has conducted themselves in a very civilised manner in a very fair process,” the governor said. “The candidates of choice have come out, we queued behind them. The electoral officers have asked if these are the people we want to vote for, we answered in the affirmative. It was largely a consensus arrangement.”

The process went smoothly in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital where voters queued up behind their preferred candidate within the premises of the African Church Grammar School.

Some other top members of the party that participated included former Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Senator Tunji Sharafa and the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Lekan Adegbite.