Oshiomhole Says Lagos APC Primary Election Stands, Overrules NWC

BY MIKE OJOOBANIKAN

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has overruled the decision of the Clement Ebri-led National Working Committee (NWC) to nullify the governorship primaries held on Tuesday in Lagos State.

The APC national chairman, as earlier reported, said the decision to uphold the primaries became imperative after consultation with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.

Oshiomhole’s decision has effectively foreclosed the holding of a fresh primary in the state on Wednesday as announced by the chairman of the NWC on Lagos governorship primaries, Chief Clement Ebri.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu as winner of Tuesday’s governorship primary.

This was contrary to the position of the Clement Ebri-led National Working Committee appointed electoral panel, which had earlier nullified the election.

Ebri had said that the primary would be rescheduled as the state chapter has no power to conduct the party governorship primary election on its own.

However, the Lagos State Chairman of the party, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, announced Sanwo-Olu as the winner of the primary.

Announcing the results to newsmen in Ikeja, Balogun said that Sanwo-Olu polled 970, 851 votes to defeat Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who polled 72, 901 votes.

The announcement was in contrast to the pronouncement of the electoral panel which had declared that election did not hold in Lagos.

News Agency of Nigeria reports that both parties had on Monday, at a meeting, disagreed on the pattern of primary to adopt without reaching a consensus.