Members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) on Ojokoro LCDA, Lagos State, staged a protest on Tuesday alleging the imposition if candidates for the July 12 local government election.
During the protest, people supporting the chairmanship aspirant in the LCDA gathered at the party secretariat, from where the marched to the council secretariat to express their grievances.
Some of the protesters chanted,” He is not part of us, no room for strangers in our LCDA”, ”Elders and leaders are or build things and not destroy” and “We want an indigenous leader to lead us, not a stranger.”
Speaking with journalists, one of the protest leaders said the party leaders should not ratify any imposed candidate.
“Don’t place a leader on people. Let all the aspirants go to the field in a free and fair primary. We are not for violence at all; we are APC members and we will not allow imposition,” he said.
“We are here to reject imposition. All aspirants deserve a fair contest to prove their political relevance. It is not fair to impose leaders on people. Our leaders should not push party members to the wall.”
Another protest leader said the protest was to prevent the installation of an unfamiliar figure as the next council chairman, saying that would not bode well for the party.
Hammad Tijani, chairman of Ojokoro LCDA, commended the protesters for being peaceful. And he also assured them that there is no form of imposition in the party.
While Jelili Oseni, the APC chairman in Ojokoro said the area will not turn to violence and the people that have worked for the party will be rewarded.
A similar protest erupted at a stakeholders meeting on April 14 in the same area.
NAN
