The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed allegations that the party has compiled a predetermined list of candidates for the upcoming House of Representatives and State House of Assembly primaries.
In a statement released Thursday, Lagos APC Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi clarified that the party remains committed to its democratic processes.
He maintained that while the party seeks consensus through broad consultation, it will proceed with direct primaries if an agreement cannot be reached on any candidature.
The rebuttal follows accusations from a group calling itself “Concerned Members of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress”.
Led by Tunde Samson, the group alleged that top party leaders, including Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, House of Representatives member James Faleke, Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi, and party chieftain Mutiu Aare, were plotting to impose preferred candidates.
The group claimed these actions violate the party’s commitment to direct primaries and undermine the rights of members to elect their representatives.
Ojelabi characterised the allegations as “baseless” and “mischievous”, suggesting they were designed to manufacture a sense of crisis within the party.
He accused certain individuals of using “propaganda, blackmail and anonymous media sensationalism” because they failed to advance their ambitions through legitimate channels.
“We state without equivocation that there is no plot, no clandestine meetings, and no predetermined list of candidates as falsely alleged,” Ojelabi said.
He further emphasised that the selection process would strictly follow the Electoral Act and the party’s internal guidelines.
Ojelabi stressed that the decision to hold direct primaries in the absence of consensus is “settled, lawful and non-negotiable”.
Reaffirming the party’s commitment to internal democracy, the party chairman urged members to ignore “faceless groups and political opportunists”, insisting that the voices of duly registered members remain supreme.
