A fresh crisis is brewing in the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the consensus option adopted by the leadership of the party for Saturday’s Ward Congresses.
The Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making body in Lagos APC, had declared after a meeting on Wednesday that a consensus option would be adopted for the forthcoming congress, ruling out any contest in the elective Congress.
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But some aggrieved members of the party, led by Mr Fouad Oki, who once laid claim to the Chairmanship of the State APC, rejected the consensus arrangements.
He said the GAC, which made the decision, is not legally recognised by the constitution of the APC.
It was learnt that 48 hours to the congress, the party has blocked members of the party from obtaining the nomination forms for any of the ward offices.
Oki, who is the Chairman, Lagos APC Democrats, in a statement Friday, stated that the GAC; “cannot decide, direct or make any pronouncement on the mode of conduct of Ward Congress or any policy or Constitutional issue regarding the APC.”
“The only recognised organ of the Party saddled with a function to deliberate and take decision such as an option on the type or mode to be adopted for Congress is the State Caucus,” he added.
Oki emphasized that any attempt to endorse consensus arrangement for the congress vide the directive of the GAC “is an exercise in futility as the National Secretariat of the Party has replied to my letter on the issues of Consensus.”
“A Tea Party constituted by an individual and foisted on members of the Party is immoral, illegal, null, void and of no consequence whatsoever.
“It is trite that legal process is abused when a few individuals take advantage and interpret the Party Constitution for a different purpose other than for what it has been intended or designed for.
“That is why a rush decision was taken by a foreign component unknown to the Constitution to direct the rubber stamp Caretaker Committee to force down the throat of members of the Party sham consensus agreement.”
He noted that the Caretaker committee had hijacked the collection of nomination forms from the people sent to Lagos to carry out the exercise of collection and submission of forms to contest for positions in the ward congress, adding that the team had been in Lagos since Friday 23rd July 2021.
Spokesman of the Caretaker Committee, Mr Seye Oladejo, had said in a statement that the party held series of stakeholders’ meetings across the State where it was agreed that consensus option should be used in Saturday’s elective ward congress.
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