LG polls: Our primaries successful despite violence, says Lagos APC

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said its primaries on Saturday ahead of the July local government elections, was successful.

It, however, called on the security agencies to probe incidents of violence in some local government areas and fish out the perpetrators.

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Daily Trust reports that pockets of violence were recorded in some local government areas including Surulere where two people were feared dead.

The election could not hold in Surulere following the violence even as the local government area was allegedly under siege on Saturday as thugs and cultists loyal to some party leaders took control.

But the APC regretted the violence, calling on the security agencies to go after the perpetrators.

Spokesman of the party’s Interim Committee, Hon Seye Oladejo, in a statement, congratulated the party members “on the successful conduct of the primaries to elect candidates for the forthcoming Local Government elections to elect Chairmen, Vice-Chairmen and Councilors into the 20 Local Government Councils, 37 Local Council Development Areas and 377 wards.”

Oladejo stated that the statewide exercise witnessed a large turnout of members who cast their votes for preferred aspirants through the open secret ballot mode as stipulated by the guidelines.

He said: “We acknowledge with regrets the reported few cases of skirmishes in a few wards with the attendant fallouts.

“We empathize with the victims of the unfortunate incident.

“While we await the formal reports of the electoral officials, we wish to admonish the security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation to bring the culprits to book and maintain law and order.”

The party reiterated that hoodlums, cultists and other outlaws were not members of the party.

“The untoward intervention of external forces within the progressive fold should be resisted by all and sundry.

“In the same vein, the party wants to enjoin aggrieved aspirants to approach the Electoral Appeal Committee headed by Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN) to lodge formal complaints,” the statement added.