Kunle ADELABU
The emergency meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ikorodu Local Government chapter, on Wednesday, September 12, 2018, witnessed a rowdy session over the nomination of delegates to the party’s Presidential primary election in Abuja, following the rejection of a nominee, Mrs Funmi Basorun, as part of the delegation.
The protest against the nomination of Mrs Bashorun and the demand by the youths of the party for a slot in the delegation created a tensed atmosphere which ended the meeting abruptly.
The meeting was called to elect three nominees that would be part of the delegation to the Presidential primary of the ruling party in Abuja.
The three nominees are to join the statutory delegates from Ikorodu division which include Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, Hon. Babajimi Benson,Member,Federal House of Representatives and Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, Majority Leader and Representative of Ikirodu Constituency 1 in the Lagos House of Assembly among others.
Trouble started when party members at the meeting unanimously rejected Mrs Bashorun after they had peacefully affirmed the nomination of the duo of Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun, former first Secretary to the State Government and Chieftain of APC, and Princess Aderenle Ogunsanya, also a former Secretary to the State Government, through voice votes.
The disgruntled party members wildly chorused rejection words such as ‘No no no’, ‘We don’t want Funmi Basorun’, ‘You cannot impose her on us’ when Mrs Bashorun’s name was brought up for nomination.
Attempt by Asiwaju Basorun to appeal to the raging crowd and make them see reason for the decision of the party’s leaders to select Mrs Bashorun as member of the delegation proved abortive as the shout of rejection against her continued unabatedly.
Also, intervention by Alhaji Ogunyemi,another party chieftain, to pacify the party members failed as they insisted that someone else should replace Mrs Bashorun.
In his own attempt to douse the already tensed atmosphere, a party member from Ward C in Ikorodu West LGA, Ahmed Busari, after collecting the microphone from Alhaji Ogunyemi, moved a counter motion that Asiwaju Basorun, Princess Adenrele and Alhaji Junaid Owokodu should join the statutory delegates to represent the division at the Presidential primary election but the motion did not enjoy the acceptance of the gathering.
While the opposition against Mrs Bashorun’s rejection was still raging on, the youths of the party started another round of controversy as they agitated for inclusion in the delegation.
They demanded that the youth leader from Ikorodu LGA should be picked as one of the delegates to the primary.
In an interview with Alhaji Taiwo Longe, APC Chairman, Ikorodu LGA,he stated:
“We are here to pick three representatives to join the statutory delegates to the Presidential primary and after necessary consultations, the party leaders agreed that we should pick one nominee from Constituency II and two from Constituency 1.
“We all know that Ikorodu division is recognized as one local government at the national level which was the reason we shared the nomination among the two constituencies that are constitutional recognized.
“On presenting the nominees to the party members at the emergency meeting, members affirmed the nomination of Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun from Ikorodu Constituency II and also Princess Aderenle Ogunsanya as the second nominee from Ikorodu Constituency I but rejected the nomination of Mrs Funmi Basorun as the third nominee from Ikorodu Constituency II.”
He, however, assured that the party leaders would resolve the matter internally.
Speaking on the agitation of the youths for inclusion in the delegation, the party chairman stated:
“It’s natural for the youths to agitate and clamour for a position but they should know that it is not everything that is supposed to be agitated for. The party has always been taken the youths into consideration. An example is the Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly,Hon S.O.B. Agunbiade, a youth in the party but who is now graduating to the leadership cadre of the party.
