 in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State, took to the streets on Tuesday to protest what they termed the imposition of candidates for the upcoming local government elections scheduled for July 12.){kind=link}
Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State, took to the streets on Tuesday to protest what they termed the imposition of candidates for the upcoming local government elections scheduled for July 12.
The protest followed a similar outcry that occurred during a party stakeholders’ meeting on April 14, which ended abruptly due to the tension surrounding the issue.
On Tuesday, supporters of various chairmanship aspirants gathered at the party secretariat before marching to the council secretariat to voice their dissatisfaction.
The protesters raised their voices against the selection of candidates they felt were imposed from outside the community.
Some of the chants from the crowd included, “He is not one of us, no space for outsiders in our LCDA,” “Elders and leaders should build, not destroy,” and “We need a local leader, not an outsider.” Many protesters also carried signs reading: “No to imposition,” “We don’t want outsiders leading us,” and “Save APC Ojokoro, no imposition!”
Speaking to reporters, protest leader Olusegun Akinoso-Olawaye called on party officials not to endorse any imposed candidates, stressing the need for fairness in the selection process.
He stated, “Leaders should not be forced upon the people. Let all aspirants compete freely in the primaries. We are not for violence, but we will not stand for imposition. Everyone should have a chance to prove themselves.”
Another protest leader, Raimot Bello, explained that their goal was to prevent the selection of a candidate unfamiliar to the community, which, in her view, would harm the party’s chances in the election.
The chairman of Ojokoro LCDA, Hammed Tijani, responded by commending the peaceful nature of the protest and assured the crowd that no candidate would be forced upon the party.
“We are all members of the APC, and the party will not be ruined. There will be no imposition; we are still sorting things out,” he said.
Jelili Oseni, the APC chairman in the council, also addressed the protesters, assuring them that the party would not descend into chaos and that those who had worked for the party would be appropriately rewarded. “There is no imposition here,” he affirmed.
At the time of the protest, party leaders and stakeholders were gathered at the council secretariat for a meeting.