There was a large turnout at Alaka Housing Estate, Ward G2, in Surulere Constituency I, Lagos State, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) commenced accreditation of members for its House of Assembly primary.
The exercise attracted party faithful from different wards across the constituency.
The incumbent lawmaker representing the constituency, Desmond Elliot, and Barakat Odunuga are among the aspirants in the race.
Speaking at the venue, the Executive Chairman of Surulere Local Government, Bamidele Yusuf, said the atmosphere was peaceful as registration and accreditation of delegates began ahead of voting.
Yusuf dismissed allegations on social media that some party members were being intimidated, insisting that the process would be transparent and credible.
He said the APC had earlier conducted its Senate and House of Representatives primaries before moving to the House of Assembly contest.
He stated, “Today is the House of Assembly election, which is the major election in Surulere because the House of Representatives and Senate primaries were unopposed.
“We mobilised for this election, and the whole place is peaceful. Since consensus was not reached, the party decided to conduct a primary election, and everybody is free to vote according to his or her conscience.
“Nobody is intimidated. Everybody is allowed to cast their votes freely. What is being circulated on social media is not true.
“Immediately after the election, whoever wins is our candidate, and we will all support the person.”
‘No Do-Or-Die Politics’
Also speaking, an APC leader in Surulere, Agboola Dabiri, described the turnout as impressive.
He said professionals, artisans and traders abandoned their daily activities to participate in the primary.
Dabiri said the contest between the incumbent and the party’s preferred aspirant would be decided by members through the primary election.
He said, “There will be a winner today, either the incumbent or the new aspirant. At the end of the day, everybody will work together for the progress of the party, regardless of the allegations of disloyalty on social media.
“As you can see, a lot of people are here. We have teachers, doctors, engineers, market women, mechanics and several others who came out to vote.
“There is peace in Surulere, and our politics is not do-or-die. At the end of the day, there will be no problem.”
Security operatives were stationed at strategic points around the venue to ensure a hitch-free exercise. They included personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps.