After keenly contested primaries, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State on Saturday produced 55 chairmanship candidates for the 12 July local council elections.
Four candidates each from four Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) had earlier emerged through consensus.
Among those who won after about five hours of voting amid tight security set up by the state Commissioner of Police, Moshoood Jimoh, included Usman Hamzat, a sibling of the state’s Deputy Governor, Dr. Femi Hamzat; and Moyosore Ogunlewe, son of a former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, and 53 others, both returning and new.
The peaceful and well-participated exercise, held at the State’s APC Secretariat, Acme Road, Ikeja, produced 55 chairmanship candidates, while councillorship polls were held in the 337 wards across the 57 councils of the state.
The delegates, agents and aspirants had stormed the venue as early as 7 am with accreditation commencing at 10 am, while election process commenced at 12.10 pm, under the close supervision of the state Independent Electoral Commission.
Before the primaries kicked off, Hamzat, who addressed delegates, appealed for calm and cooperation with the electoral committee for a seamless and successful exercise.
APC Electoral Committee Chairman, Hon. Babatunde Ogala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, subsequently announced the consensus candidates, while addressing delegates before the election proper.
The LCDAs with consensus candidates included Iba (Mr. Isa Abiola Jubril) Oto Awori (Azeez Kareem) Ijede (Tunrayo Gbadebo) and Lekki (Rasak Kasali).
Last week, the APC electoral committee had cleared 432 chairmanship aspirants out of the 470 that submitted the nomination forms for the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 LCDAs.
Earlier, delegates of no fewer than two LCDAs abstained due to unresolved internal crisis rocking the party within the councils. The affected areas included Lagos Mainland LGA and Yaba LCDA.
The withdrawal from Yaba LCDA came barely two days after youths, under the auspices of Concerned Youth of Yaba, rejected the alleged nomination of Joseph Ojo as the choice of the party.
After about five hours of voting, Ogala, who led the exercise at about 5.15 pm, started announcing the results after sorting and counting of valid votes.
The following are the winners as of press time:
- Usman Hamzat (Ifako/Ijaiye LCDA)
- Hameed Olalekan Aroyewun (Igbogbo Baiyeku LCDA)
- Oluyemisi Rosiji (Ojokoro LCDA)
- Moyo Ogunlewe (Kosofe LCDA)
- Olufemi Okeowo (Ifelodun LCDA)
- Lekan Akindipe (Ajeromi-Ifelodun LGA)
- Surulere LGA (Sulaimon Yusuf)
- Coker Aguda LCDA (Ogidan Azeez)
- Agboyi-Ketu LCDA (Tola Oyedele)
- Ejigbo LCDA (Taiwo Taoheed)
- Lagos Island East (Muibi Alade)
- Amuwo Odofin (Sanusi Ismail)
- Rufai Muyibat (Ojo LGA)
- Lagos Island (Taiwo Oyekan)
- Ikorodu North LCDA (Wale Amin)
- Samsideen Agunbiade (Eti-Osa East)
- Hunpe Babatunde (Badagry LGA)
- Epe (Sura Olayemi Animashaun)
- Isolo LCDA (Olasoju Adebayo)
- Sesan Olowa (Ibeju Lekki LCDA)
- Ikosi-Ejirin LCDA (Anamo Adewale)
- Badagry West (Rauf Ibrahim)
- Ikorodu LGA (Ladega Adedayo)
- Oriade LCDA ( Olojede Rasaq)
- Orile Agege (Abiodun Akinola)
- Somolu (Ashimi Lateef)
- Ikosi-Isheri LCDA (Bada Abolanle)
- Oshodi-Isolo (Kehinde Oloyede)
- Imota LCDA (Benson Sunday)
- Ikorodu West – Kazeem Sulaimon
- Apapa (Sebanjo Idowu)
- Olohunda LCDA – Ajose Peter
- Eredo LCDA – Ismail Monsuru
- Mosan Okunola – Akindele Adunni
- Ayobo Ipaja – Agbaje Abiodun
- Alimosho LGA (Ibrahim Akinpelu)
- Apapa Iganmu – Jimoh Olawale
- Bariga LGA – Bukola Omope
- Mushin LGA – Tunbosun Aruwe
- Ojodu LCDA – David Odunmbaku
- Igando Ikotun – Lasisi Ayinde Akinsanya
- Ikeja – Akeem Dauda
- Onigbongbo LCDA -Moyo Adebanjo
- Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye LCDA – Jakande Lawal
- Ikoyi-Obalende – Bola Oladunjoye
- Eti-Osa LGA – Adeola Omoba
- Iru Victoria Island LCDA – Oluwakemi Aminat
- Agege LGA: Babatunde Azeez
- Itire -Ikate LCDA- Daniel Odunayo Oluwafemi
- Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA- Ishola Jimoh Abiodun
- Egbe-Idimu LCDA- Idris Balogun.
