As Lawmaker Fingers Elegushi
- Safiu Kehinde
An angry woman has vowed that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Eti-Osa Constituency I will work against the party in 2027 general elections over alleged manipulation of the Lagos State House of Assembly primary election.
Speaking in a video shared on social media on Sunday, the visibly enraged woman whose name was not disclosed accused the party leaders of manipulating the election result and giving the ticket to another candidate despite the declaring the Assembly Majority Leader and incumbent lawmaker representing the constituency, Noheem Adams, as winner of the election.
She alleged that the ticket was given to the other aspirant, Saheed Bankole who was defeated at the poll.
“It seems you leaders don’t want APC to win by 2027 with what you are doing presently. Someone will emerge winner and you will give the ticket to another person.
“You want all members of the party to go to another party with what you are doing.
“The person we elected, you did not give him the ticket. You are giving it to the person you like. We voted for Anike and she emerged. But you gave it Fuad.
“We voted again for Noheem but you gave it to Bankole. Is that supposed to be so. Were you not in town when we were campaigning that this is who we want?” She said.
The APC member further queried the party leaders over their failure to inform them about their preferred choice before the election.
She however warned that if the party insist on imposing Saheed on them, they will not vote for the APC in 2027.
“Why didn’t engage us then that these are the people you want? What is the essence of our membership card if not for primary election?
“Now we did the primary election. We suffered and left our home since morning to vote for our choice, but you then decided to picked someone who is in his house.
“Since you know that is the person you want, why bothering us with primary election?
“If you insist that you won’t use Noheem, you will know that we in Eti-Osa East are now wise. We won’t vote for you. Even Eti-Osa West will not vote because I know that those supporting Noheem are also there.
“Even Iru, they will not vote. You’ve already cheated Anike and she has accepted her fate. Now you want to cheat Noheem despite emerging winner.
“If you don’t give it to Noheem, we won’t vote. Go and write it down, APC will not enter if you don’t give it to Noheem.” She said.
While Adams had reportedly polled 7,638 votes against Bankole’s 1,225, sweeping five of the six wards contested in the constituency, the election in Ward J was declared inconclusive.
However, the result announced at Olomu Primary School in Ajah, effectively positions Adams for a return to the Lagos State House of Assembly in the 2027 general election.
Amid speculations of plot to overturn the election result and declaring Saheed as the party’s flagbearer, Adams had raised alarm over the development.
The lawmaker called out Lagos monarch, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi of Ikate Elegushi, accusing him of being responsible for the plot to overturn the result which the Returning Officer confirmed to him that he won.
“He told me that after he wrote the result, he received a call. He told me that it was Oba Elegushi that called him and he left immediately.
“I was there with my three local government chairmen to protect our mandate and they told me that Gbenga Odofin has submitted my result that I am the winner of the election. We believe in the party.” He said.
Adams disclosed that his alleged offence against Oba Elegushi emerged from his decision to oppose the impeachment plot against the Lagos Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa.
“The only crime I committed against Oba Elegushi was about the impeachment of the Speaker that I did not follow them to sign against the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
“In our school of thought that our President taught us, they taught us loyalty.
“And I remain being loyal because I did not support Oba Elegushi for the coup that was planted against the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. That is the only crime I committed.” The Lagos Assembly Majority Leader said.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to call the monarch to order with also charging the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to hold the monarch responsible if anything happens to him.
“Today, I am calling on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to call Oba Elegushi to order. He was the reason why we lost the Presidential election and House of Representatives election. Oba Elegushi lost in his own kingdom. The results are there in INEC to verify. He lost by 70 percent in his kingdom.
“I want to say here today with my full chest that my father and my mother are indigenes of this Eti-Osa. I call on the Inspector-General of Police to hold Oba Elegushi responsible if anything happens to me.” He added.